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IRecor^s  of  Civilisation:   Sources  an&  Studies 


THE  BOOK  OF  THE  POPES 

{LIBER  PONTIFICALIS) 

<•  >  > 

I 

TO  THE  PONTIFICATE  OF  GREGORY  I 

TRANSLATED   WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION 

BY 

LOUISE    ROPES    LOOMIS,    Ph.D. 


Neto  gorfe 
COLUMBIA   UNIVERSITY   PRESS 

1916 

All  rights  reserved 


rjift    ,-,f  ^U-z     P>-ocM«,.- 


Copyright,   1916, 
By  COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published  September,  1916. 


J.  8.  Cashing  Co.  —  Berwick  «fc  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

The  preparation  of  an  English  text  of  the  Liber  Pontificalis, 
of  which  the  following  pages  furnish  the  first  installment,  is  some- 
thing more  than  the  translation  of  a  crabbed  text,  crowded  with 
obscure  references.     Even  of  the  great  libraries  in  this  country 
only  about  ten  possess  the  original  in  the  best  working  edition,  if 
one  may  judge  by  library  returns,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  many  more 
copies  of  the  complete  text  exist  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.     A  docu- 
ment which  long  was  viewed  as  of  fundamental  importance  for  the 
history  of  the  Papacy  has  thus  sunk  so  completely  out  of  sight  as 
to  have  become  a  rather  rare  curiosity  to  all  but  research  students 
of  medieval  history.      This  is  in  part  due  to  the  character  of  the 
work,  with  its  forbidding  lists  of  items  of  local  and  temporary  inter- 
est, in  which  only  the  trained  archaeologist  can  find  his  way,  but 
it  is  also  surely  due  to  the  fact  that  both  texts  and  commentary 
have  hitherto  been  in  foreign  languages  and  are  to  be  found  only 
in  costly  and  rare  volumes.     The  EngUsh  version  aims  to  over- 
come these  difficulties.     While  the  narrative  portions  of  the  text 
have  been  kept  in  full,  lists  of  mere  names  and  figures,  especially 
in  the  case  of  ordinations,  have  been  in  part  eliminated  unless  they 
were  of  distinct  historical  interest.     The  narrative,  when  no  longer 
clogged  with  an  undue  amount  of  this  material,  will  be  found  to 
run  along  with  something  of  the  swiftness  of  a  medieval  chronicle. 
The  archaeologist,  who  alone  will  miss  the  discarded  portions,  will 
turn  to  the  original  in  any  case.      In  the  second  place,  suflficient 
apparatus   has   been   given  in   the  form   of   explanatory   notes   to 
make  the  narrative  clear,  while  bibUographical  references  furnish 
a  guide  to  the  treatment  of  the  more  intricate  problems.     It  is 
hoped,  therefore,  that  in  its  new  form  —  for  the  Liber  Pontificalis 
has  never  before  been  translated  into  any  other  tongue  —  this 
quaint  monument  of  curial  historiography  will  be  found  to  have 
retained   enough  of   that  charm    of   naive  simpUcity,   which  the 
scholar  appreciates  in  the  original,  to  lure  the  general  reader  of 
history  into  a  study  of  the  important  facts  with  which  it  deals. 


vi  PREFACE 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  this  volume  is  not 
an  attempt  to  present  a  history  of  the  Papacy  during  the  first  six 
centuries.  It  is  simply  the  presentation  of  an  ancient  text  with 
enough  commentary  to  make  it  intelligible.  The  text  is  that  of 
the  earliest  history  of  the  Papacy,  but  even  were  it  provided  with 
most  exhaustive  notes,  it  could  never  furnish  by  itself  an  adequate 
basis  for  a  modern  narrative.  The  historian  of  to-day  has  at  his 
disposal  other  documents  and  archaeological  remains,  which  are 
often  of  greater  importance  for  an  understanding  of  these  early 
pontificates  than  the  meagre  biography  in  the  Liber  Pontificalis. 
It  was  originally  planned  that  a  collection  of  such  documents  should 
form  a  part  of  the  volume  in  which  the  Liber  Pontificalis  appears ; 
but  it  now  seems  best  to  publish  these  documents  in  a  separate  and 
parallel  volume,  and  so  leave  the  way  open  to  complete  the  Liber 
Pontificalis,  or  at  least  to  carry  it  down  to  the  heart  of  the  Middle 
Ages. 

A  word  should  be  said  as  to  the  point  at  which  the  text  of  the 
Liber  Pontificalis  is  broken  in  this  edition.  When  the  translation 
was  first  undertaken  it  seemed  unlikely  that  it  would  ever  be  con- 
tinued further  than  in  the  present  enterprise.  Dr.  Loomis,  there- 
fore, carried  the  text  through  the  pontificate  of  Gregory  I,  as  a 
point  of  general  historical  interest.  Since  there  is  now  a  possi- 
bility that  the  next  section  of  the  book  may  also  be  translated,  the 
division  has  been  put  as  near  to  the  one  originally  planned  as  pos- 
sible, including  the  pontificates  immediately  preceding  Gregory. 

Those  who  read  this  book  will  surely  appreciate  the  arduous 
task  which  Dr.  Loomis  has  here  accomplished,  and  their  appre- 
ciation will  probably   grow  upon  a  closer  acquaintance  with  the 

problems  involved. 

J.  T.  S. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   LIST   OF   POPES 


The  dates  of  the  first  eighteen  pontificates  are  so  conjectural  that  they  are  not 
given  here.                                                                                                                                ^^^^ 

I.    Peter 4 

II.     Linus ^ 

III.  Cletus 7 

IV.  Clement  I 7 

V.    Anencletus 9 

VI.     Evaristus 9 

VII.    Alexander ^° 

VIII.     Xystus  I " 

IX.     Telesphorus ^^ 

X.     Hyginus ^3 

XI.     Pius  I ^4 

XII.    Anicetus ^5 

XJII.     Soter ^^ 

XIV      Eleutherius ^° 

XV.    Victor ^7 

XVI.     Zephyrinus ^9 

XVII.     Callistus  I 2° 

XVIII.    Urbanus  I 2^ 

XIX.     Pontianus  (230-235) 22 

XX.     Anteros  (235-236) 23 

XXI.     Fabianus  (236-250) 24 

XXII.     Cornelius  (251-253) ^5 

XXIII.  Lucius  (253-254) -^ 

XXIV.  Stephen  I  (254-257) ^9 

XXV.    Xystus  II  (257-258) 3° 

XXVI.    Dionysius  (259-268) 31 

XXVII.     Felix  I  (269-274) 33 

XXVIII-     Eutychianus  (275-283) 33 

XXIX.     Gaius  (283-296) 34 

vii 


VUl 

XXX. 
XXXI. 
XXXII. 
XXXIII. 
XXXIV. 
XXXV. 
XXXVI. 
XXXVII. 
XXXVIII. 
XXXIX. 
XL. 
XLI. 
XLII. 
XLIII. 
XLIV. 
XLV. 
XLVI. 
XLVII. 
XLVIII. 
XLIX. 
L. 
LI. 
LII. 
LIII. 
LIV. 
LV. 
LVI. 
LVII. 
LVIII. 
LIX. 
LX. 
LXI. 
LXII. 
LXIII. 
LXIV. 
LXV. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   LIST   OF   POPES 

PAGE 

Marcellinus  (296-304) 36 

Marcellus  (308-309) 37 

EusEBius  (309  or  ^\o) 39 

MiLTIADES    (3II-314) 40 

Sylvester  (314-335) 4i 

Marcus  (336) 72 

J0LIUS  I  (337-352) 73 

LiBERius  (352-366)        . 75 

Felix  II  (355-35^) •         -78 

Dam  ASUS  (366-384) 79 

SiRicius  (384-399) 83 

Anastasius  t  (399-401) 85 

Innocent  I  (401-417) 86 

ZosiMus  (417-418) 88 

Boniface  I  (418-422) 89 

Celestine  I  (422-432) 92 

Xystus  III  (432-440) 93 

Leo  I  (440-461) 97 

Hilary  (461-468) 102 

SiMPLicius  (468-483) 105 

Felix  III  (483-492) 107 

Gelasius  (492-496) 11° 

Anastasius  II  (496-498) ii4 

Symmachus  (498-514) ^15 

Hormisdas  (514-523) ^^4 

John  I  (523-526) ^3^ 

Felix  IV  (526-530) U^ 

Boniface  II  (530-532) ^4° 

John  II  (533-535) ^^2 

Agapitus  (535-536)      .        . H3 

Silverius  (536-537) ^46 

ViGiLius  (537-555)        ^53 

Pelagius  I  (556-561) ^60 

John  III  (561-574) ^^3 

Benedict  I  (575-579) ^^^ 

Pelagius  II  (579-59°)  •        •        •- ^^7 


INTRODUCTION 

The  bishopric  of  Rome,  favored  by  circumstance  in  many  ways 
over  the  bishoprics  of  other  cities,  is  fortunate  also  in  this,  that  it 
possesses  records  dating  almost  from  the  age  of  its  venerable 
foundation.  The  equally  ancient  sees  of  Jerusalem,  Antioch  and 
Alexandria  have  no  memorials  earlier  than  the  catalogues  of  bishops 
which  were  set  down  by  the  historian  Eusebius  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury. Constantinople  can  trace  its  episcopal  line  no  further  back 
than  the  seventh  century.  On  the  other  hand,  Rome,  for  a  variety 
of  reasons  which  are  still  matters  of  controversy,  was  regarded 
as  a  peculiarly  faithful  custodian  of  apostolic  tradition ;  the 
sequence  of  its  bishops  from  Peter,  the  apostle,  was  cited  even  as 
early  as  the  second  century  as  guarantee  of  its  claim  to  transmit 
the  pure  doctrine  unalloyed.  The  episcopal  lists  of  the  second 
century  were  repeated  and  continued  in  succeeding  centuries,  the 
later  records  being  expanded  and  enlarged,  until  in  the  sixth  or 
seventh  century  the  Liber  Pontificalis,  the  first  historical  narra- 
tive or  series  of  papal  biographies,  was  compiled  by  a  member  of 
the  papal  court.  Later  yet  every  pope  had  his  official  annalist, 
who  carried  on  the  Liber  Pontificalis,  adding  a  new  biography  at 
the  death  of  the  pontiff.  The  chronicle  was  often  bare  and  per- 
functory, was  now  and  then  omitted  altogether  for  long  periods  at 
a  time,  but  was  not  finally  abandoned  until  the  age  of  Martin  V 
in  the  fifteenth  century. 

Throughout  the  Middle  Ages  and  until  comparatively  modern 
times  the  Liber  Pontificalis  was  accepted  as  not  only  the  oldest  but 
as  also  the  most  authentic  existing  history  of  the  papacy.  Ex- 
tracts from  it  were  incorporated  into  church  liturgies.  It  was 
quoted  as  an  authority  by  countless  historians  and  ecclesiastical 

ix 


X  INTRODUCTION 

writers  from  the  eighth  century  to  the  eighteenth.  It  served  as 
model  for  other  chronicles,  both  secular  and  religious,  in  particular 
for  the  Gesta  Episcoporum  and  the  Gesta  Abbatum,  the  records 
which  were  kept  in  cathedral  chapters  and  monasteries  of  Western 
Europe  during  the  later  Middle  Ages.  Because  of  its  unmistakable 
antiquity  and  because  of  the  profound  importance  of  its  subject 
matter  it  was  reckoned  as  a  source  of  unimpeachable  veracity  and 
as  one  of  the  indisputable  proofs  of  the  primitive  power  and  activity 
of  the  popes. 

Modern  scholarship,  however,  in  the  persons  of  Lipsius,  Light- 
foot,  Waitz,  Duchesne,  Mommsen,  and  others,  has  laid  its  unscru- 
pulous hands  on  this  Liber  Pontificalis,  analyzed  it  and  separated 
it  into  two  parts,  each  differing  from  the  other  in  origin  and  his- 
torical value.  The  latter  portion,  from  the  seventh  century  down- 
ward, is,  as  we  have  already  indicated,  simply  the  annals  of  the 
papal  court,  written  up  from  time  to  time  by  the  papal  biographer. 
The  narrative  may  be  biassed  or  inaccurate,  but  it  recounts  events 
of  which  the  narrator  had  for  the  most  part  some  personal  knowl- 
edge, from  which  he  was  in  no  case  very  far  distant,  and  as  such 
deserves  considerable  credence.  It  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  few  sur- 
viving sources  for  the  turbulent  centuries  that  followed  the  death 
of  Gregory  I.  It  presents  no  unusual  problems  beyond  those 
offered  by  any  history  treating  of  an  age  so  alien  to  our  own. 

The  earlier  portion,  covering  the  era  from  St.  Peter  to  the 
seventh  century,  and  compiled  first  toward  the  end  of  that  era,  is 
of  different  quality.  Although  still  admitted  to  be  the  oldest  of  all 
local  church  histories,  based  upon  records  earlier  yet  and  of  un- 
doubted genuineness,  it  is  itself  a  mesh  of  veritable  fact,  romantic 
legend,  deliberate  fabrication  and  heedless  error.  It  deals  with 
persons  and  things  which  seemed  often  almost  as  remote  to  the 
author  as  they  do  to  us  and  of  which  he  had  only  the  scantiest  and 
most  fragmentary  accounts ;  it  describes  achievements  which  he 
had  little  means  of  estimating  justly  and  which  he  had  sometimes 
the  strongest  motive  to  exaggerate  or  misrepresent.  One  can, 
therefore,  observe  in  this  single  document  a  blending  of  most 
of  the  processes  by  which  a  history  may  be  constructed,  the  use  of 
sober,  reliable,  sometimes  first-hand  reports  of  events  and  again  of 
marvelous  legends,  the  creations  of  generations  of  enthusiasm  and 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

piety,  the  intentional  manufacture  of  data  for  a  definite  purpose, 
the  distortion  of  other  data  through  prejudice  or  ignorance.  This 
portion  of  the  Liber  Pontificalis  is  often  fraudulent,  often  partisan, 
often  naively  devout  and  credulous.  Yet  the  very  frauds  and  un- 
corroborated assertions  and  mistakes  and  venerations  have  a  value 
to  us  of  a  sort.  It  is  interesting  to  know  what  could  be  believed 
about  some  of  these  matters  in  the  sixth  or  seventh  century.  At 
bottom  there  is  the  residue  of  substantiated  fact  and  credible  tra- 
dition which  continue  to  make  even  this  part  of  the  Liber  Pontifi- 
cahs  indispensable,  if  not  for  the  study  of  the  policies  of  the  imme- 
diate successors  of  Peter,  yet  for  the  history  and  archaeology  of 
Rome  and  the  church  in  the  earliest  Middle  Ages. 

The  translation  which  follows  gives  the  text  of  this  first  portion  ^ 
from  the  beginning  to  the  Kfe  of  Gregory  the  Great,  with  the 
omission  toward  the  last  of  some  formulae  and  lists  of  church 
appurtenances  which  seem  to  possess  only  an  archaeological  worth 
or  interest.  In  order  to  make  clearer  the  peculiar,  heterogeneous 
character  of  our  text,  we  may  here  consider  more  in  detail  the 
elements  of  which  it  was  composed :  first,  the  ancient,  papal 
chronologies  which  preceded  it  and  upon  which  it  was  based ;  sec- 
ond, the  supplementary  material  with  which  the  unknown  author 
filled  out  the  bare  skeleton  of  names  and  dates  furnished  him  by 
the  chronologies  and  which  distinguished  his  work  from  them. 

The  oldest  papal  lists  of  which  we  hear  anything  were  written 
down,  as  we  have  already  said,  in  the  second  century.  About 
150  A.D.  Hegesippus,  a  Christian  from  Syria,  perplexed  by  the 
fine-spun  Gnostic  theories  of  the  nature  and  mission  of  Christ  which 
were  winning  acceptance  in  the  East,  visited  Rome  and  drew  up 
a  list  of  the  Roman  bishops  to  his  own  day  in  order  to  satisfy  him- 
self and  his  countrymen  of  the  validity  of  the  Roman  form  of 
doctrine.  His  list  contained,  perhaps,  not  only  the  names  of  the 
bishops  but  also  the  duration  in  years  of  each  pontificate.  Oral 
tradition  would  still  be  reasonably  exact  for  the  years  since  100  a.d.  ; 
for  the  bishops  who  came  before  it  would  be  able  to  supply  the 
names  and  a  rough  calculation  as  to  the  length  of  their  terms. 
Unhappily  Hegesippus'  list  has  not  been  preserved  in  its  original 

'  On  the  termination  of  the  first  recension  see  pp.  xxi  and  xxii,  and  notes  to 
Vigilius  below. 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

form:  Eusebius,  in  his  Church  History,  quotes  from  Hegesippus' 
writings  his  account  of  the  visit  to  Rome  and  the  securing  of  the 
list,  but  not  the  Hst  itself,  and  the  writings  have  perished.  The  list 
was  used,  however,  by  later  chroniclers,  Eusebius  among  them. 

Twenty-five  or  thirty  years  afterwards,  during  the  persecution 
of  Marcus  Aurelius,  Irenaeus  came  from  Lyons  to  Rome  and  while 
there  compiled  another  list  of  the  Roman  succession  as  far  as  Eleu- 
therius,  who  was  then  in  office.  Iren£eus  was  anxious  to  reconcile 
the  warring  sects  which  menaced  the  life  of  the  church  from  within 
more  seriously  than  the  persecutions  without.  He  wrote  a  great 
treatise,  Against  the  Heresies,  in  which  he  exposed  the  fallacies 
of  the  heterodox  and  set  forth  systematically  the  whole  Catholic 
scheme  of  the  relations  between  God  and  man.  To  support  his 
system  he  cited  the  unbroken  line  of  the  episcopate  and  the  grace 
transmitted  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  as  well  as  the  testimony 
of  the  Scriptures.  Irenaeus  inserted  in  his  episcopal  list  a  few 
facts  which  he  had  learned  at  Rome  about  the  early  bishops.  He 
says,  for  instance,  that  Linus,  the  second  in  ofhce,  was  the  man 
to  whom  St.  Paul  referred  in  his  Epistle  to  Timothy,  that  Clement, 
the  fourth  bishop,  had  seen  and  heard  both  the  apostles  and  that 
many  others  surviving  at  Rome  in  Clement's  day  had  been  taught 
by  them.  He  also  mentions  the  martyrdom  of  Telesphorus  and, 
in  another  connection,  the  relations  of  Anicetus  with  Polycarp, 
who  had  known  the  apostle  John,  and  the  rise  of  heresies  at  Rome 
under  Hyginus  and  Pius.  The  work  of  Irenaeus  is  preserved  only 
in  fragments  in  the  original  Greek,  but  one  of  the  fragments  includes 
the  passage  with  which  we  are  concerned.  In  its  time  it  exerted 
an  immense  influence  on  the  formulation  of  dogmatic  theology  in 
both  East  and  West. 

In  the  third  century  the  lists  of  the  second  century  were  tran- 
scribed and  carried  forward  by  at  least  two  other  hands.  Hip- 
polytus,  bishop  of  Porto,  who  was  banished  for  his  faith  to  Sar- 
dinia in  company  with  the  Roman  bishop,  Pontianus,  and  whose 
marble  statue  now  stands  in  the  Lateran  Museum,  drew  up  about 
235  A.D.  a  catalogue  of  the  Roman  succession  as  far  as  his  own  day. 
Hippolytus  was  a  voluminous  writer,  interested  not  only  in  theology 
but  also  in  ecclesiastical  law  and  in  chronography.  He  compiled 
a  chronicle  of  the  world  from  the  creation  to  the  year  234  a.d.. 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

with  tables  of  the  Roman  emperors,  kings  of  Macedon  and  Jewish 
high  priests,  the  type  of  many  a  similar  work  in  the  centuries  to 
follow.  It  is  natural  that  he  had  his  hst  of  Roman  bishops  also. 
Unfortunately,  although  a  large  part  of  the  chronicle  has  survived, 
the  episcopal  list  itself,  as  Hippolytus  prepared  it,  has  been  lost. 
It  was  incorporated  in  later  lists,  however,  and  in  that  way  the 
substance  of  it  has  come  down  to  us. 

Another  third  century  list  of  which  we  hear  but  which  has  like- 
wise now  disappeared  in  its  original  shape  is  said  to  have  been  the 
work  of  one  Julius  Africanus,  a  native  of  Palestine.  This  last  list 
seems  to  have  been  more  elaborate  than  any  which  preceded  it  and 
to  have  included  the  names  of  the  emperors  and  consuls  in  office 
when  the  terms  of  the  various  bishoprics  began  and  ended.  The 
author  probably  gave  these  synchronisms  accurately  enough  for 
the  period  with  which  he  was  acquainted  and  reckoned  backward 
to  secure  the  dates  for  the  earlier  age,  using  as  a  means  the  consular 
Fasti  and  the  figures  in  the  older  papal  fists. 

From  the  fourth  century  onward  the  chronologies  of  the  popes 
come  gradually  into  more  general  circulation.  The  papacy  by 
this  time  was  an  old,  estabfished  institution  of  increasing  impor- 
tance, with  a  history  in  which  it  might  take  pride.  The  emperors 
were  leaving  Rome  and  from  their  distance  no  longer  overshadowed 
the  head  of  the  church.  In  fact  it  became  customary  to  couple 
fists  of  the  popes  with  fists  of  consuls  and  kings  and  other  secular 
magnates.  Eusebius,  the  historian  and  friend  of  Constantine, 
inserted  lists  of  the  Roman  bishops  in  both  his  Chronicle  and  his 
Church  History,  bringing  them  down  to  the  year  325.  His  two 
fists  disagree  with  one  another  in  the  figures  for  the  length  of  some 
of  the  earfier  pontificates,  but  give  precisely  the  same  names  in  the 
same  order.  They  may  have  been  taken  from  two  different  sources. 
They  show  that  even  at  that  date  tradition  and  records  were  uncer- 
tain as  to  the  years  but  were  in  accord  as  to  the  men.  Toward  the 
close  of  his  chronologies  Eusebius  added  the  months  to  the  years 
of  some  of  the  pontifical  terms. 

About  the  year  350  a  cofiection  of  chronological  and  geographi- 
cal fists  and  tables  was  compiled  for  the  convenience  of  Chris- 
tian residents  in  Rome,  which  must  have  been  but  one  of  many 
similar  collections  of  that  and  later  times.     This  particular  collec- 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

tion  has  chanced  to  come  down  to  us  almost  entire,  and  gives  us  a 
curious  glimpse  into  the  range  of  interests  of  the  persons  for  whom 
it  was  written,  such  as  a  World's  Almanac  for  1915  would  give  to  a 
student  of  our  age  living  in  the  year  3500.  Comprised  in  the  col- 
lection were  civil  and  court  calendars,  paschal  tables,  lists  of  the 
anniversaries  of  the  burials  of  popes  and  martyrs,  a  topography  of 
the  city  of  Rome  divided  into  districts,  tables  of  Roman  emperors 
and  consuls  and  a  Ust  of  the  popes  to  the  time  of  Liberius,  fuller 
and  more  comprehensive  than  any  which  had  gone  before. 

This  last  list  has  since  become  known  as  the  Liberian  Catalogue, 
so-called  from  the  date  of  its  composition,  not  from  any  connec- 
tion with  Liberius  himself.     It  gave  the  length  of  each  term  from 
the  beginning  in  years,  months  and  days,  the  imperial  and  consular 
synchronisms,  in  the  case  of  some  popes  the  date  of  burial  or  depo- 
sition, and  here  and  there  it  marked  an  event.     Under  Pius,  for 
example,  it  mentioned  the  writing  of   The  Shepherd  of  Hermas, 
probably  because  of  the  discussion  in  Liberius'  day  over  the  canon- 
icity  of  the  book.     Under  Pontianus,  Lucius  and  Marcellinus  it 
noted  the  troubles  due  to  persecution,  under  Fabianus  and  Cornelius 
the  outbreak  of  the  Novatian  schism  and  under  Julius  the  five 
basilicas  which  he  built.     It  committed  the  grave  blunder  of  mak- 
ing two  popes  out  of  Cletus  and  Anencletus,  different  forms  in  dif- 
ferent earher  chronologies  of  the  same  man's  name.     The  major 
part  was  compounded  from  several  of  the  previous  lists.     There  is 
reason  to  think  that  Hippolytus'  was  one  of  those  consulted.     At 
any  rate  some  one  of  these  pattern  Usts  gave  apparently  the  dura- 
tion of  a  few  pontificates  in  days  as  well  as  in  years  and  months 
and  alluded  now  and  then  to  events  associated  with  particular 
names.     The  author  of  the  Liberian  Catalogue  copied  out  these 
figures  and  references  to  events  and  added  arbitrarily  months  and 
days  to  the  years  of  all  the  terms  from  Peter  downward  in  order 
to  make  his  work  appear  more  symmetrical.     Two  or  three  cen- 
turies later  this  Liberian  Catalogue  was  transported  outright  into 
the  Liber  Pontificalis  to  form  the  groundwork  for  the  period  that 
it  covered.     The  author  of  the  Liber  Pontificalis  was  content  to 
take  it  as  it  stood,  without  troubling  to  go  behind  to  any  of  the  more 
primitive  lists.     Indeed  he  seems  to  have  known  them  only  through 
the  medium  of  the  Catalogue. 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

Henceforth  lists  of  the  popes  are  found  with  increasing  frequency 
in  the  literature  of  the  day,  quoted  by  theologians  in  opposition  to 
the  novelties  of  the  heretics,  brought  down  to  date  by  chroniclers 
and  historians.  Optatus  and  Augustine  cited  the  unbroken  papal 
line,  the  bishops  of  "the  unique  see,"  as  witness  against  the  Dona- 
tists.  The  unknown  author  of  a  poem  against  Marcion  invoked 
them  in  support  of  his  metrical  arguments  on  behalf  of  orthodoxy. 
Jerome,  who  translated  and  continued  the  Chronicle  of  Eusebius, 
carried  the  catalogue  on  to  378.  Prosper  of  Aquitaine,  who  lived 
at  Rome  under  Leo  I  and  continued  Jerome's  Chronicle  to  453, 
Socrates,  Sozomen  and  Theodoret,  Greeks  of  the  early  fifth  century, 
who  undertook  to  supplement  the  Church  History  of  Eusebius, 
all  added  their  quota  to  the  chronology  of  the  popes.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  enumerate  the  writers  who  later  still  reviewed  the 
names  of  the  bishops  of  Rome.  They,  of  course,  depended  upon 
one  or  another  of  the  preceding  lists,  and,  though  their  dates  and 
figures  showed  often  a  wide  diversity,  due  to  the  carelessness  or 
ignorance  of  copyists,  they  all  followed  some  one  of  the  forms 
already  worked  out. 

The  nameless  priest  or  clerk  who  first  compiled  the  Liber  Pontifi- 
calis  took,  as  we  have  said,  his  papal  list  for  the  first  three  and  one 
half  centuries,  with  few  modifications,  directly  from  the  Liberian 
Catalogue.  A  few  supplementary  data  and  the  outline  for  the  fol- 
lowing centuries  he  found  in  Jerome's  Chronicle  and  the  later  com- 
pendiums.  Into  this  framework  of  names  and  dates  he  proceeded 
to  fit  a  large  quantity  of  fresh  material,  in  order  to  make  his  book 
more  interesting  and  more  instructive  and  to  give  it  the  character 
of  a  history  rather  than  of  a  catalogue.  This  body  of  new  material, 
which  forms  the  distinguishing  feature  of  the  Liber  Pontificalis 
as  compared  with  the  chronologies,  must  next  be  the  subject  of 
our  attention.  It  has  been  dissected  and  examined  of  recent  years 
by  archaeologists  like  De  Rossi,  as  well  as  by  the  historians,  Du- 
chesne and  Mommsen.  We  may  summarize  briefly  in  the  succeed- 
ing two  or  three  pages  the  results  of  their  investigation. 

I,  The  two  prefatory  letters,  ostensibly  composed  by  St.  Jer- 
ome and  Pope  Damasus,  by  means  of  which  the  authorship  of  the 
whole  first  part  of  the  Liber  Pontificalis  is  ascribed  to  Jerome,  are 
manifest  forgeries  of  the  sixth  or  seventh  century.     Our  unknown 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

author  invented  them  in  the  clumsy  Latin  of  his  time,  hoping 
tlirough  them  to  give  prestige  to  his  own  work.  The  practice  was 
not  uncommon  in  his  day.  Tlie  particular  form  which  the  letters 
took  was  suggested  to  him,  no  doubt,  by  an  epistle  of  Jerome  to 
Damasus,  prefixed  to  the  former's  version  of  the  Gospels,  and  by 
the  correspondence  which  served  as  introduction  to  Jerome's 
Martyrology.  Our  author's  acquaintance  with  the  correspondence 
is  proved  by  the  fact  that  he  took  from  one  of  those  letters  his  fig- 
ures for  the  number  of  martyrs  that  perished  in  the  persecution  of 
Diocletian  in  the  time  of  Pope  Marcellinus. 

2.  The  names  of  the  fathers  of  the  popes  and  of  their  nations 
and  birthplaces  our  author  may  have  copied,  at  least  for  all  that 
concerns  the  later  popes,  from  some  ecclesiastical  record  lost  to  us 
to-day.  We  know  of  no  such  source,  but  our  author  may  have 
discovered  it  in  some  Roman  archive,  long  since  destroyed  in  the 
ruin  of  the  ancient  city.  For  the  earlier  popes  he  undoubtedly 
invented  these  details,  in  order  that  he  might  seem  to  possess  as 
much  information  about  them  as  about  their  successors. 

3.  The  comparatively  circumstantial  biographies  of  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Clement,  and  the  account  of  the  debate  over  the  date  of 
Easter  under  Victor  he  took  from  two  fourth  century  productions, 
the  De  Viris  Illustribus  of  Jerome  and  Rufinus'  translation  of  the 
apocryphal  Recognitions  attributed  to  Clement.  He  may  also 
have  drawn  from  the  letter  of  Gregory  I  to  Eulogius  of  Alexandria. 
Unluckily  these  works  were  all  too  late  to  have  much  value  as 
authorities  on  events  of  the  first  or  second  century. 

4.  The  decrees  for  the  organization  and  government  of  the 
church  ascribed  to  the  various  bishops  are  practically  all  spurious 
until  they  reach  the  latter  half  of  the  fifth  century.  Our  author 
evidently  felt  it  necessary  to  record  some  achievement  for  every 
bishop  in  the  whole  long  line,  and  therefore  assigned  to  each  in 
turn  the  institution  of  some  ecclesiastical  custom  which  obtained 
at  the  time  he  himself  was  writing.  These  statements  have  some 
worth  as  indicating  the  nature  of  procedure  in  the  sixth  or  seventh 
century  but  little  or  none  as  bearing  upon  the  earlier  periods. 
Exceptions  to  this  general  rule  are  the  decrees  of  Siricius  and  of 
Innocent  I,  which  our  author  probably  found  in  the  official  letters 
of  those  popes  included  in  the  Collection  of  Acts  of  Popes  and 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

Councils  compiled  by  Dionysius  Exiguus  at  the  opening  of  the 
sixth  century.  From  this  same  collection  he  derived  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  so-called  Apostolic  Canons,  to  which  he  refers  in  the 
first  of  his  prefatory  letters,  and  of  the  acts  of  several  apocryphal 
councils,  such  as  the  Council  of  Sinuessa  before  which  Marcellinus 
professed  his  penitence  and  the  two  Roman  synods  of  Sylvester, 
which  passed  measures  to  enhance  to  an  incredible  degree  the  powers 
of  the  bishop.  Here  also  he  obtained  his  untrustworthy  accounts 
of  the  vicissitudes  of  Liberius  and  the  trial  of  Xystus  III.  He 
apparently  knew  the  genuine  Acts  of  the  Council  of  Chalcedon, 
for  his  report  of  that  assemblage,  though  badly  confused,  is  not 
marred  by  actual  untruth.  He  makes  no  allusion  to  the  general 
Council  of  Constantinople,  held  in  551,  though  we  should  expect 
some  mention  of  it  if  he  were  acquainted  with  its  proceedings.  As 
for  the  Council  of  Sinuessa,  it  is  now  certain  that  no  such  gathering 
ever  took  place,  but  it  is  not  clear  whether  or  not  Marcellinus  was 
a  renegade.  The  tale  has  perhaps  some  ground  in  fact,  but  it  may, 
on  the  other  hand,  be  the  fabrication  of  a  later  party  that  wished 
to  cast  discredit  on  the  pontificate. 

5.  The  descriptions  of  persecutions  and  martyrdoms  and  of 
religious  marvels,  such  as  the  discovery  of  the  Holy  Cross  and  the 
healing  of  Constantine,  were  culled  from  popular  martyrologies 
and  passions  of  the  saints,  almost  all  of  which  have  since  disap- 
peared. They  were  merely  pious  stories,  simple  and  uncritical, 
in  which  the  heroic  and  legendary  elements  predominated  over  the 
historical.  Our  author  seems  to  have  felt  a  special  ardor  for  the 
memory  of  the  martyrs.  He  has  three  early  popes,  Clement, 
Anteros  and  Fabianus,  each  make  provision  for  the  collection  of 
facts  regarding  them  and  out  of  the  thirty-one  first  popes  he  has 
twenty-three  win  for  themselves  the  martyr's  crown.  Few  of  these 
statements  can  be  accepted  unless  corroborated  by  outside  testi- 
mony. 

6.  The  notices  of  churches  built  or  repaired  and  of  gifts  offered 
by  prelates  or  princes  are  a  conspicuous  feature  of  the  biography 
of  Sylvester,  and  thereafter  are  copious  and  frequent.  They  must 
have  been  copied,  in  part  at  least,  from  records  or  memoranda  in 
the  archives  of  the  Roman  see.  The  curious  and  imposing  list  of 
Constantine's  donations  bears  marks  of  genuineness  as  a  document. 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

although,  in  its  present  shape  it  is  plainly  corrupt  in  passages,  iLc 
proper  names  being  at  times  quite  unintelligible.  The  donations 
enumerated  in  such  lists  are  of  genuine  but  obscure  historical  in- 
terest, either  for  the  history  of  the  Patrimony  of  St.  Peter,  if  grants 
of  estates,  or  for  the  history  of  art,  if  basilicas  and  appurtenances 
of  worship.  In  the  latter  case  they  furnish  valuable  —  if  sometimes 
uncertain  —  evidence  for  the  relation  of  Byzantine  art  to  Roman  in 
the  early  Christian  period.  The  catalogue  of  Constantine's  bene- 
factions is  reproduced  entire  in  the  translation,  also  the  most  not- 
able items  of  the  later  lists.  The  student  who  wishes  more  will 
consult  the  original  text. 

7.  The  lists  of  episcopal  ordinations,  set  like  formulae  near  the 
end  of  each  biography,  were  also  in  all  probability  taken  from 
records  kept  toward  the  close  of  our  period  in  the  Roman  church. 
Indeed  Gregory  I  alludes  in  one  of  his  letters  to  such  a  record. 
Our  author  then  introduced  fictitious  lists  of  ordinations  into  the 
early  biographies  in  order  to  maintain  the  much  desired  appearance 
of  uniformity  and  of  completeness  of  information.  All  the  lists, 
however,  in  spite  of  their  official  semblance,  are  so  bare  and  brief 
and  the  figures  in  many  cases  are  obviously  so  corrupt  that  they 
retain  no  value  at  the  present  day.  Like  the  accounts  of  the  pro- 
visions for  the  conduct  of  the  church,  they  emphasize  the  part 
played  by  the  bishop  to  the  disparagement  of  that  played  by  the 
other  clergy  or  the  laity.  They  show  the  autocratic  or  monarchical 
character  of  the  Roman  structure  as  it  appeared  to  the  eyes  of  its 
first  historian. 

8.  The  notices  of  the  dates  and  places  of  burial  or  deposition  of 
popes  and  martyrs  were  based  partly  on  the  Liberian  Catalogue 
and  partly  on  lists  of  saints'  anniversaries  and  traditions  con- 
nected with  certain  basilicas  and  cemeteries.  When  a  bishop's 
name,  however,  did  not  appear  in  the  well-known  lists  of  saints, 
and  no  tradition  associated  him  with  any  particular  tomb,  our 
author  arbitrarily  supplied  him  with  date  and  place  of  sepulture. 
The  natural  spot  for  interring  the  first  pontiffs  was  the  Vatican; 
afterward  the  catacomb  of  Callistus.  In  fact,  the  bishops  Anicetus 
and  Soter  are  assigned  in  one  text  to  the  cemetery  of  Calhstus  some 
years  before  Callistus  constructed  it. 

Having  herewith  baldly  sketched  the  antecedents  and  sources 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

of  the  Liber  Pontificalis,  we  must  add  a  few  words  on  the  vexed 
problem  of  the  period  of  composition,  the  date  when  our  anony- 
mous cleric  set  about  piecing  it  together  out  of  its  miscellaneous 
elements.  It  is  a  problem  upon  which  the  most  erudite  authori- 
ties still  disagree  and  which  we  can  do  hardly  more  than  state  in 
abbreviated  form,  the  arguments  on  either  side  being  too  lengthy 
and  technical  to  reproduce  here.  They  are  rendered  especially 
comphcated  by  the  fact  of  the  variety  and  number  of  texts  of  the 
Liber  Pontificalis  and  by  the  difficulty  of  determining  which  text 
represents  the  archetype  or  original  draft  of  the  work.  As  it  hap- 
pens, it  has  come  down  to  us  not  only  in  three  different  versions 
of  the  full  text  but  also  in  two  abridgments  or  epitomes.  It  is 
now  generally  conceded  that  all  forms  of  the  complete  text,  in  the 
shape  that  we  have  them,  are  products  of  the  seventh  century. 
The  earhest  recension  or  edition  dates  back  perhaps  to  the  first 
quarter  of  the  century,  not  long  after  the  death  of  Gregory  I. 
Forty  or  fifty  years  later  it  was  rewritten  in  a  slightly  more  expan- 
sive style  and  brought  down  to  include  the  popes  who  had  held 
oflfice  since  the  first  recension  was  finished.  Shortly  afterward  a 
third  or  composite  version  was  constructed  by  a  combination  of 
the  two  previous  recensions,  wherein  some  passages  were  borrowed 
from  the  first  and  some  from  the  second.  Thenceforward  no  further 
alterations  were  made  in  the  biographies  of  the  seven  first  centuries. 
One  or  other  of  the  three  recensions  was  copied  by  later  writers 
with  the  additions  necessary  to  carry  on  the  narrative  to  date. 

The  question  still  in  dispute  is  the  age  of  the  two  epitomes. 
The  first  or  FeUcian  Epitome,  as  it  is  called,  breaks  off  with  the 
pontificate  of  Felix  IV,  530  a.d.  Certain  scholars  of  great  learn- 
ing and  distinction,  such  as  Lipsius,  Lightfoot  and  Duchesne,  hold 
that  this  epitome  is  a  summary  of  an  early  text  of  the  Liber  Pon- 
tificahs  which  concluded  at  that  point  and  was  in  fact  composed 
soon  after  Felix'  death ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  the  original  text 
was  about  a  century  older  than  any  full  text  which  we  possess  at 
the  present  day  and  that  our  author  lived  and  wrote  toward  the 
end  of  Theodoric's  reign  instead  of  under  Heraclius.  The  second 
or  Cononian  Epitome,  which  closely  resembles  the  Felician  but 
continues  on  to  the  time  of  Pope  Conon,  687  a.d.,  is  also  in  the 
opinion  of  these  same  scholars  a  resume  of  the  first  text,  supple- 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

merited  by  an  abridgment  of  the  latter  part  of  one  of  the  seventh 
century  recensions.  To  illustrate  this  theory  we  may  mention 
one  or  two  of  the  simpler  arguments.  Duchesne  contends  that 
these  epitomes  show  variations  from  the  language  of  the  seventh 
century  versions  that  indicate  their  derivation  from  a  different 
and  older  prototype,  that  the  biographies  of  the  popes  of  the  period 
of  Theodoric  are  written  in  a  vivid  and  personal  style  as  if  by  a 
contemporary  and  that  Gregory  of  Tours,  who  died  in  594,  alludes 
in  his  history  to  a  version  of  the  Liber  Pontificalis  current  in  his 
time. 

On  the  other  hand,  Waitz  and  Mommsen,  scholars  no  less 
learned  and  distinguished,  maintain  that  the  two  epitomes,  in  spite 
of  their  occasional  divergences  from  the  seventh  century  phrase- 
ology, are  nevertheless  founded  upon  the  seventh  century  text  and 
that,  in  consequence,  the  Liber  Pontificalis  itself  is  no  older  than 
the  earliest  of  the  recensions,  that  is,  than  the  period  of  the  disturb- 
ances after  the  death  of  Gregory  I.  They  insist  that  the  differ- 
ences in  language  between  the  two  epitomes  and  the  full  seventh 
century  versions  are  not  important  enough  to  require  a  different 
source  for  the  epitomes,  that  the  increase  in  vivacity  and  in  mi- 
nuteness of  description  noticeable  in  the  biographies  of  the  age  of 
Theodoric  may  be  explained  by  the  use  on  the  part  of  the  seventh 
century  author  of  a  sixth  century  chronicle  since  lost,  and  that 
passages  in  these  same  biographies  contain  mistakes  and  misunder- 
standings impossible  to  a  contemporary.  They  pronounce  the 
quotation  from  Gregory  of  Tours  too  vague  and  indecisive  to  be 
accepted  as  proof  of  his  acquaintance  with  the  Liber  Pontificalis. 
Other  writers  of  the  age,  men  like  Isidore  of  Seville  and  Pope  Greg- 
ory himself,  more  deeply  versed  in  Roman  affairs  than  the  Gallic 
Gregory  could  be,  would  inevitably  have  referred  to  the  Liber 
Pontificalis  if  it  had  been  in  existence  in  their  day.  But,  as  we  have 
said  before,  the  arguments  on  either  side  of  this  controversy  are 
far  too  elaborate  to  rehearse  adequately  here.  Something  more  of 
them  will  be  found  in  the  notes  appended  to  the  text. 

The  following  translation  is  based  upon  the  text  edited  by 
Mommsen  in  the  Monumenta  GermanicB  Historica.  He  gives  the 
full  seventh  century  version  with  the  variations  between  the  three 
recensions  or  between  them  and  either  or  both  of  the  epitomes 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

printed  in  parallel  columns.  Mere  differences  in  individual  manu- 
scripts, caused  by  the  errors  or  interpolations  of  copyists,  he  enu- 
merates in  his  footnotes.  I  have  preserved  his  method  of  setting 
the  various  readings  of  different  classes  of  texts  in  parallel  columns 
so  that  the  extent  of  the  variations  might  be  easily  seen,  but  have 
for  the  most  part  made  no  attempt  to  indicate,  as  he  does,  by  a 
system  of  letters  and  numbers  the  text  to  which  each  reading  be- 
longs nor  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  idiosyncrasies  of  single  manu- 
scripts. For  a  close  study  of  the  separate  texts  the  reader  must 
consult  Mommsen  himself. 

The  magnitude  of  Mommsen's  undertaking  may  be  better 
appreciated  by  noting  in  passing  the  age,  number  and  location  of 
the  manuscripts  which  he  thought  essential  to  collate  in  preparing 
his  edition.  His  text  of  the  Felician  Epitome  he  derived  from  three 
manuscripts,  the  oldest  of  which  dates  from  the  eighth  century  and 
is  now  in  Paris,  the  other  two  being  at  Berne  and  Rome.  The 
Cononian  Epitome  he  found  in  two  manuscripts,  both  of  the  ninth 
century,  one  in  Paris  and  one  in  Verona.  The  first  recension  of 
the  full  seventh  century  text  he  obtained  from  nineteen  manu- 
scripts, the  oldest  of  which  belongs  to  the  eighth  century  and  is 
now  in  the  Library  at  Lucca,  the  others  are  scattered  in  Paris, 
Rome,  Florence,  Milan  and  elsewhere.  The  second  recension  he 
took  from  twenty  manuscripts,  the  oldest  now  in  Naples,  dating 
from  the  close  of  the  seventh  century,  the  remainder  in  Leyden, 
Cologne,  Paris,  Brussels,  Treves  and  other  places.  The  third  or 
composite  text  he  based  upon  eleven  manuscripts.  The  earliest, 
now  at  Modena,  goes  back  to  the  end  of  the  seventh  or  the  open- 
ing of  the  eighth  century,  but  it  consists  only  of  excerpts.  The 
oldest  copy  of  the  entire  text  is  in  the  Vatican  and  dates  from  the 
tenth  century. 

For  fuller  discussions  of  the  numerous,  interesting  topics  con- 
nected with  the  Liber  Pontificalis,  its  origin,  character,  and  value, 
the  student  who  wishes  to  pursue  his  investigations  further  is 
referred  first  of  all  to  the  voluminous  and  exhaustive  introduc- 
tions and  notes  attached  to  Duchesne's  edition  of  the  text,  pub- 
lished a  few  years  earlier  than  Mommsen's;  also  to  Mommsen's 
briefer  Prolegomena  to  his  own  edition,  Lightfoot's  volume  on 
St.  Clement  of  Rome  in  the  series  entitled  The  Apostolic  Fathers, 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

and  Waitz'  articles  on  the  subject  in  the  Neues  Archiv,  especially 
volumes  IV,  IX,  X,  and  XL  A  convenient  summary  of  some 
of  the  researches  of  the  greater  scholars  is  afforded  by  Rosenfeld's 
monograph,  Uber  die  Composition  des  Liber  Pontijicalis  biz  zu 
Constantin.  From  these  authorities  and  the  others  quoted  from  time 
to  time  in  the  text  I  have  gathered  my  statements  in  this  intro- 
duction and  much  of  the  material  in  my  notes.  In  fact,  without 
the  guidance  of  Duchesne,  I  should  often  have  been  at  a  loss 
how  to  elucidate  the  text,  my  own  notes  being  in  many  cases 
scarcely  more  than  abridgments  or  paraphrases  of  his.  The  refer- 
ences in  the  notes  are,  for  the  most  part,  to  these  same  works, 
the  indispensable  apparatus  for  any  serious  study  of  the  Liber 
Pontificalis,  to  the  Latin  and  Greek  sources  in  English  trans- 
lation, whenever  such  translations  exist,  otherwise  in  the  original, 
and  finally  to  English  books,  accessible  to  most  readers  and  likely 
to  prove  helpful  for  a  general  understanding  of  the  subjects  treated 

in  the  text. 

L.  R.  L. 


THE    BOOK   OF   THE    POPES 

{LIBER   PONTIFICALIS) 


TO  THE   PONTIFICATE   OF   GREGORY  I 


THE  BOOK  OF  THE  POPES 

{LIBER   PONTIFICALIS) 


Preface 

Jerome  to  the  most  blessed  pope  Damasus  :  ^ 

We  humbly  beseech  thy  glorious  holiness  that  as  the  apostolic 
see,  which  we  understand  is  ruled  by  thy  holiness,^  ...  we  bend 
in  supplication  and  entreat  that  thou  deign  to  impart  to  us  in  order 
the  record  of  the  deeds  done  in  thy  see  from  the  principate  of  blessed 
Peter,  the  apostle,  even  to  thine  own  day ;  that  thus  we  may  humbly 
ascertain  which  of  the  bishops  of  the  aforesaid  see  attained  the 
crown  of  martyrdom  and  which  are  judged  to  have  transgressed 
the  canons  of  the  apostles.^  Pray  for  us,  most  blessed  pope. 
Given  April  27.     Received  at  Rome. 

Damasus,  bishop  of  the  city  of  Rome,  to  Jerome. 

The  church  rejoices  already,  drinking  with  satisfaction  at  thy 
fountain,  and  the  thirst  grows  ever  keener  among  its  priests  to  hear 
of  the  past,  in  order  that  what  is  right  may  be  recognized  and  what 
is  wrong  rejected.  So  all  the  record  which  the  zeal  of  our  see  has 
been  able  to  discover  we  send  with  gladness  to  thee,  beloved. 
Pray  for  us  unto  the  holy  resurrection,  brother  and  fellowpriest. 
Farewell  in  Christ,  our  God  and  Lord.  Given  May  23.  Re- 
ceived September  26.     Sent  from  Rome  to  Jerusalem. 

'  These  letters  are  obvious  forgeries,  designed  to  give  the  authority  of  two  great 
names  to  the  ensuing  narrative.  The  author  is  even  naive  enough  to  attribute  to 
Damasus  and  Jerome  a  history  which  covers  a  century  or  two  beyond  their  time.  See 
Introduction,  pp.  vii  and  viii. 

2  Some  words  are  lost  here.  Traube  suggests  a  reading:  "that  thou  wouldest 
assist  us  by  the  authority  vested  in  the  apostolic  see,  which  we  understand, "  etc. 
Mommsen,  Liber  Pontificalis,  p.  i. 

^  The  collection  of  canons  translated  into  Latin  by  Dionysius  Exiguus  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  sixth  century.  Cf.  Hefele,  Histoire  des  Conciles,  I,  pp.  1203-1221 
(H.  Leclercq). 

3 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


I.   Peter 


Blessed  Peter/  the  Antiochene, 
son  of  John,  of  the  province 
of  GaHlee  and  the  town  of 
Bethsaida,  brother  of  Andrew 
and  chief  of  the  apostles, 


Blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  and 
chief  of  the  apostles,  the  Antio- 
chene,  son  of  John,  of  the 
province  of  Galilee  and  the 
town  of  Bethsaida,  brother  of 
Andrew, 

first  occupied  the  seat  of  the  bishop  in  Anthiocia  ^  for  7  years. 
This  Peter  entered  the  city  of  Rome  when  Nero  was  Caesar  and 
there  occupied  the  seat  of  the  bishop  for  25  years, 
I  month  and  8  days.  |  2  months  and  3  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Tiberius  Caesar  and  of  Gaius  and 
of  Tiberius  Claudius  and  of  Nero.^ 

He  wrote  two  epistles  which  are  called  catholic,  and  the  gospel 
of  Mark,  for  Mark  was  his  disciple  and  son  by  baptism ;  afterwards 
the  whole  source  of  the  four  gospels,  which  were  confirmed  by 
inquiring  of  him,  that  is  Peter,  and  obtaining  his  testimony; 
although  one  gospel  is  couched  in  Greek,  another  in  Hebrew,  an- 
other in  Latin,  yet  by  his  testimony  were  they  all  confirmed.^ 

»  As  explained  above  in  the  Introduciion  (p.  xii),  when  different  versions  of  the 
narrative  are  found  in  the  different  epitomes  or  recensions  of  the  Liber  Pontificalis, 
the  readings  are  set  down,  as  here,  in  parallel  columns,  the  older  text  being  given  first. 
Llost  of  the  following  story  of  the  life  of  the  apostle  is  taken  by  the  author  of  the 
lib.  Pont,  from  Jerome's  De  Viris  Illustribus,  c.  i  (ed.  Richardson,  pp.  6  and  7 ;  Texte 
rnd  Untersuchimgenzur  Gesch.  der  allchristlkhen  LUeratur,  vol.  XIV).  An  excellent 
liLtle  hand  book  to  consult  for  information  on  Jerome  and  the  other  church  fathers 
who  will  be  cited  in  the  course  of  our  text  and  notes  is  Bardenhewer's  Patrology,  trans- 
lated by  Strahan. 

^Antioch,  the  ancient  Antiochia.  Corrupt  or  peculiar  forms  of  proper  names 
in  the  Latin  text  will  be  reproduced  in  the  translation. 

3  Our  author  gives  two  incompatible  traditions,  the  first  that  Peter  did  not  come 
to  Rome  before  the  reign  of  Nero  {cf.  the  late  second  century  Acta  Petri  et  Pauli  in 
Tischendorf ,  Acta  A postolorum  Apocrypha,  p.  i ,  etc.) ,  the  second  that  after  a  pontificate 
of  twenty-five  years  at  Rome  he  was  put  to  death  under  Nero.  The  latter  is  Jerome's 
version.  The  reader  may  find  a  discussion  of  the  Petrine  problem,  with  many  further 
references,  in  the  volume  of  this  series  devoted  to  the  history  of  the  Papacy. 

«  Duchesne  suggests  that  the  idea  that  the  four  gospels  all  issued  from  a  single 
source  was  derived  from  the  apsidal  mosaics  of  fifth  and  sixth  century  churches 
which  represented  the  four  rivers  of  paradise  all  flowing  out  from  one  head.  Lib. 
Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  119)  n-  7- 


PETER  5 

He  ordained  two  bishops,  Linus  and  Cletus,  who  in  person  ful- 
filled all  the  service  of  the  priest  in  the  city  of  Rome  for  the  inhabit- 
ants and  for  strangers  ;  then  the  blessed  Peter  gave  himself  to  prayer 
and  preaching,  instructing  the  people.^ 

He  disputed  many  times  with  Simon  Magus  both  before  Nero, 
the  emperor,  and  before  the  people,  since  by  magic  arts  and  trickery 
Simon  was  drawing  away  those  whom  the  blessed  Peter  was  gather- 
ing into  the  faith  of  Christ.  And  while  they  debated  once  at  great 
length  Simon  was  struck  dead  by  the  will  of  God. 

He  consecrated  blessed  Clement  as  bishop  and  committed  to 
him  the  government  of  the  see  and  all  the  church,  saying:  ^  "As 
unto  me  was  delivered  by  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ  the  power  to  gov- 
ern and  to  bind  and  loose,  so  also  I  commit  it  unto  thee,  that  thou 
mayest  ordain  stewards  over  divers  matters  who  will  carry  onward 
the  work  of  the  church  and  mayest  thyself  not  become  engrossed 
with  the  cares  of  the  world  but  mayest  strive  to  give  thyself  solely 
to  prayer  and  preaching  to  the  people." 

After  he  had  thus  disposed  affairs  he  received  the  crown  of  martyr- 
dom with  Paul  in  the  year  38  after  the  Lord's  passion.^ 

He  was  buried  also  on  the  Via  AureUa,  in  the  shrine  of  Apollo, 
near  the  place  where  he  was  crucified,  near  the  palace  of  Nero,  in 
the  Vatican,^  near  the  triumphal  district,^  on  June  29. 


1  Rufinus,  Preface  to  the  apocryphal  Clementine  Recognitions;  cf.  infra,  p.  7,  n.  4. 

2  This  passage  is  taken  from  the  apocryphal  Epistle  of  Clement  to  James,  c.  2  and  5 ; 
prefixed  to  the  Recognitions.     Cf.  infra,  p.  8,  n.  2. 

3  Our  author  follows  here  the  Paschal  tables  of  the  fifth  century,  according  to  which 
Christ  was  crucified  in  the  year  29.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  119,  n.  12.  Eusebius' 
Chronicle  says  that  Peter  and  Paul  died  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  Nero's  reign,  the 
2iith  Olympiad,  the  year  2083  of  the  Jewish  calendar,  which  would  correspond  to 
our  year  67  a.d.  The  persecution  of  Nero,  however,  took  place  in  64  a.d.  The 
earliest  passage  that  may  be  construed  as  a  reference  to  the  martyrdom  of  the  two 
apostles  at  Rome  occurs  in  the  First  Epistle  of  Clement  to  the  Corinthians,  written  prob- 
ably about  90-100  A.D.  It  is  translated  in  the  Locb  Classical  Library,  Apostolic  Fathers, 
vol.  I.  p.  17.     Cf.  also  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Part  I,  for  text  and  discussion. 

^  Vaticanus  was  the  ancient  name  of  the  hill  forming  the  prolongation  of  the  Ja- 
niculum  toward  the  north,  and  the  Campus  orAger  Vaticanus  was  the  space  between 
the  foot  of  the  hill  and  the  Janiculum  and  the  Tiber.  Here  the  word  is  used  to  denote 
this  low  region  stretching  back  from  the  river. 

5  Jerome  says,  "near  the  Via  TriumphaHs."  The  tomb  of  Peter,  now  covered  by 
the  crypt  of  the  modem  basilica,  was  situated  between  the  Via  Aurelia  and  the  Via  Tri- 
umphaHs, on  the  outskirts  of  the  circus  of  Nero,  near  a  temple  of  Cybele,  which  through 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


He  held  three  ordinations,  7 
deacons,  10  priests,  3  bishops,^ 
in  the  month  of  December. 


He  held  ordinations  in  the 
month  of  December,  3  bishops, 
10  priests,  7  deacons.^ 


II.   Linus 

Linus,  by  nationality  an  Italian,  from  the  province  of  Tuscany, 
son  of  Herculanus,  occupied  the  see  11  years,  3  months  and  12  days. 
He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Nero  from  the  consulship  of  Saturni- 
nus  and  Scipio  (a.d.  56)  until  the  year  when  Capito  and  Rufus  were 
consuls  (a.d.  67). 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

He,  by  direction  of  the  blessed  Peter,  decreed  that  a  woman 
must  veil  her  head  to  come  into  the  church.^ 

He  held  two  ordinations,  15  bishops,  18  priests. 

He  also  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  in  the 
Batican  ^  about  September  24. 

a  popular  error  was  later  called  a  temple  of  Apollo.  Cf .  Grisar,  Rome  and  the  Popes  in 
the  Middle  Ages,  T,  pp.  277  ff. ;  C.  Erbes,  Die  Todeslage  der  Apostel  Paidus  und  Petrus 
und  ihre  Romischcn  Denktndlcr,  in  Textc  und  Unlersuchiingen,  Neue  Folge,  IV. 

1  The  three  bishops  were  evidently  Linus,  Cletus  and  Clement.  The  number 
seven  was  attached  to  the  deacons  in  order  to  ascribe  to  Peter  the  institution  of  the 
seven  Roman  deacons.  Sozomen,  the  Greek  historian,  writing  in  the  middle  of  the 
fifth  century,  mentions  the  curious  fact  that  the  Roman  church  never  had  more  than 
seven  deacons,  a  number  which  they  considered  sanctioned  by  the  apostles.  Ecclesias- 
tical History,  VII,  c.  19;   Eng.  tr.  in  Nicene  and  Post  Nicene  Fathers,  ser.  2,  vol.  II. 

2  One  manuscript  adds  the  following.  "He -first  ordained  the  celebration  of  the 
mass  to  commemorate  the  Lord's  passion,  with  bread  and  wine  mixed  with  water  and 
the  Lord's  prayer  repeated  alone  and  the  sanctifying  of  the  holy  cross,  a  rite  which  the 
other  holy  apostles  imitated  for  this  celebration."  The  earliest  detailed  account  of  a 
Christian  service  is  in  Justin  Martyr's  First  Apology,  written  for  presentation  to 
Antoninus  Pius.  It  is  translated  in  Cresswell,  Liturgy  of  the  Apostolic  Constitutions, 
Early  Church  Classics  Series. 

'  Linus  is  represented  as  associated  with  and  acting  under  the  direction  of  Peter. 
The  ordinance  may  have  been  suggested  by  /  Corinthians,  xi.  5. 

*  A  corruption,  of  course,  for  Vatican.  In  the  seventeenth  century  some  workmen 
digging  near  the  tomb  of  Peter  in  the  crypt  of  the  present  cathedral  unearthed  several 
ancient  sarcophagi,  one  bearing  an  inscription  in  which  the  name  Linus  was  thought 
to  be  decipherable.  There  were,  however,  no  scholars  at  hand  competent  to  verify 
the  reading,  the  sarcophagus  was  not  preserved  where  it  could  be  studied,  and  De  Rossi, 
the  Italian  authority  on  Christian  epigraphy,  is  inclined  to  doubt  the  correctness  of  the 
report.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  121,  n.  3.     Grisar,  I,  p.  279. 


LINUS,    CLETUS,    CLEMENT   I  7 

III.   Cletus 

Cletus,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  from  the  precinct  Vicus  Patri- 
cius,^  son  of  Emilianus,  occupied  the  see 

7  years,  i  month  and  20  days.      |  12  years,  i  month  and  11  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Vespasian  and  Titus  from 

of  Domitian  | 

the  7th  consulship  of  Vespasian  and  the  5th  of  Domitian  (a.d.  77) 
until  the  year  when  Domitian  was  consul  for  the  9th  time  and 
Rufus  was  consul  with  him  (a.d.  83). 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

He,  by  direction  of  the  blessed  Peter,  ordained  25  priests  ^  in 
the  city  of  Rome 

in  the  month  of  December.  | 

He  also  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  in  the 
Batican,  April  26. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  20  days. 

IV.   Clement  I 

Clement,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  from  the  district  of  the  Celian 
Hill,^  son  of  Faustinus,  occupied  the  see  9  years,  2  months  and  10 
days.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Galba  and  Vespasian  from  the 
consulship  of  Tragalus  and  Italicus  (a.d.  68)  until  the  year  when 
Vespasian  was  consul  for  the  9th  time  and  Titus  was  consul  with 
him  (a.d.  79).  He  wrote  many  books  in  his  zeal  for  the  faith  of 
the  Christian  religion  ^  and  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

^  Near  the  modern  Via  Urbana,  a  region  extending  from  the  Viminal  to  the  Esquiline. 

2  The  number  twenty-five  was  apparently  chosen  here  in  order  to  give  apostolic 
sanction  to  the  twenty-five  titular  or  parish  churches  which  existed  in  Rome  at  the 
close  of  the  fifth  century.  Cf.  infra,  p.  38  and  n.  3.  On  the  actual  slow  development 
of  the  ecclesiastical  organization  see  Cambridge  Medieval  History,  vol.  I,  ch.  vi. 

^  The  author  probably  deduced  the  location  of  Clement's  house  from  the  situation 
of  the  church  of  San  Clemente  which  stands  between  the  Caelian  and  the  Esquiline. 

*  The  author  may  have  in  mind  the  ten  books  of  the  apocryphal  Recognitions 
attributed  to  Clement  and  translated  from  Greek  into  Latin  by  Rufinus.  The  original 
Greek  text  has  since  been  lost.  Text  by  P.  de  Lagarde  supersedes  that  of  Migne, 
Pat.  Gr.,  vol.  I.     Translation,  Ante  Nicene  Fathers,  VITI. 


8  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  created  7  districts  and  assigned  them  to  faithful  notaries  of 
the  church  that  they  might  make  diligent,  careful  and  searching 
inquiry,  each  in  his  own  district,  regarding  the  acts  of  the  martyrs.^ 
He  composed  two  epistles  which  are  called  catholic. 

He,  by  direction  of  the  blessed  Peter,  undertook  the  pontifical 
office  of  governing  the  church,  even  as  Peter  received  the  seat  of 
authority  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  moreover  in  the  epistle 
which  he  wrote  to  James  ^  thou  mayest  learn  in  what  manner  the 
church  was  entrusted  to  him  by  the  blessed  Peter.  Therefore 
Linus  and  Cletus  are  recorded  before  him  for  the  reason  that  they 
were  ordained  bishops  also  by  the  chief  of  the  apostles  to  perform 
the  priestly  ministry. 

He  held  two  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  10  priests, 
2  deacons  and  15  bishops  in  divers  places.^ 

He  died  a  martyr 

in  the  third  year  of  Trajan.''  |  in  the  third  Trajan. 

He  also  was  buried  in  Greece,^  November  24. 
And  the  bishopric  was  empty  21  days. 

1  It  seems  far  more  likely  that  the  seven  ecclesiastical  districts  of  Rome  were 
the  creation  of  Pope  Fabianus  in  the  third  century.  Our  author  is  obviously  anxious 
to  give  an  early  origin  and  a  dignified  function  to  the  church  notaries,  a  body  to  which 
he  possibly  belonged.     Cf.  infra,  pp.  10,  n.  3  and  24. 

2  This  epistle  was  translated  by  Rufinus  and  early  became  prefixed  to  the  pseudo- 
Clementine  Recognitions  just  mentioned.  In  the  Greek  it  is  prefixed  to  the  pseudo- 
Clementine  Hmnilics.  There  is  no  reference  here  to  the  one  authentic  letter  of  Clement 
still  preserved,  written  to  the  church  of  Corinth.  Lightfoot,  St.  Clement  of  Rome;  Locb 
Classical  Library,  The  Apostolic  Fathers,  vol.  I. 

3  I.e.  the  priests  and  deacons  were  to  serve  in  the  city  churches,  the  bishops  in 
the  dioceses  about  the  city. 

^Jerome  also  gives  this  as  the  date  of  Clement's  death.  De  Viris  lUustribiis, 
c.  XV ;  ed.  Richardson,  p.  17.  A  fragment  of  an  inscription  of  the  end  of  the  fourth 
century  has  been  discovered  in  the  church  of  San  Clemente,  which  was  built  over  the 
site  of  Clement's  own  house.  In  this  inscription  the  word  MARTYR  apparently 
foUows  the  name  of  Clement. 

5  An  allusion  to  the  legend  of  the  St.  Clement,  who  was  said  to  have  been  drowned 
in  the  Black  Sea,  and  who  became  in  time  identified  with  Pope  Clement  of  Rome. 
Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  xci. 


ANENCLETUS,    EVARISTUS  9 

V.   Anencletus 

Aneclitus,^  by  nationality  a  Greek  from  Athens,  son  of  Anthio- 
cus,  occupied  the  see 

12  years,  10  months  and  7  days.  |  9  years,  2  months  and  10  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Domitian  from  the  loth  consulship 
of  Domitian  when  Savinus  was  his  colleague  (a.d.  84)  until  the 
year  when  Domitian  was  consul  for  the  17th  time  and  Clement  was 
consul  with  him  (a.d.  95). 

He  built  and  adorned  the  sepulchral  monument  ^  of  the  blessed 
Peter,  forasmuch  as  he  had  been  made  priest  by  the  blessed  Peter, 
and  other  places  of  sepulchre  for  the  burial  of  bishops.  There  he  him- 
self likewise  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter,  July  13. 

He  held  2  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  5  priests,  3 
deacons,  6  bishops  in  divers  places. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  13  days. 

VI.     EVARISTUS 

Euvaristus,  by  nationality  a  Greek 

of  Antioch,  | 

son  of  a  Jew  named  Judah,  from  the  city  of  Bethlehem,  occupied 
the  see 

13  years,  7  months  and  2  days.    |  9  years,  10  months  and  2  days. 

^  The  fifth  bishop  of  Rome  was  not  Anencletus  but  Evaristus,  who  here  comes 
sixth.  Anencletus  and  Cletus  were  two  forms  of  the  same  name,  and  in  the  earliest 
lists  the  bishop  ordained  by  Peter  was  called  by  either  one  form  or  the  other.  The 
compiler  of  the  Liherian  Catalogue,  however,  took  the  two  forms  for  the  names  of  two 
different  men  and  inserted  them  both  into  his  list.  The  author  of  the  Lib.  Pont. 
followed  the  Liherian  Catalogue.  For  full  explanation  see  Lightfoot,  Clement  of  Rome 
{The  Apostolic  Fathers),  vol.  I,  p.  201  et  seq. 

^  Le.  the  tomb.  The  second  century  Acta  Petri  et  Pauli  (Tischendorf,  Acta  Apos- 
tolorum  Apocrypha,  p.  38)  says  that  the  bodies  of  the  apostles  were  laid  in  a  place  out- 
side the  city  for  one  year  and  seven  months  until  their  sepulchres  were  prepared  for 
them.  These  eariiest  tombs  were  small  and  inconspicuous  and  stood  close  among 
pagan  tombs  in  the  same  localities.  In  fact,  remains  of  pagan  tombs  or  columbaria 
have  been  found  so  near  to  the  resting  places  of  both  apostles  as  to  be  disturbed  when 
foundations  were  being  laid  for  the  heavy  bronze  baldachinos  which  cover  the  h?gh 
altars  in  both  of  the  modern  basilicas.     The  shrine  of  Peter  was  only  large  enough  to 


lo  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Domitian  and  Nerva  and  Trajan, 
from  the  consulship  of  Valens  and  Vetus  (a.d.  96)  until  the  year 
when  Gallus  and  Bradua  were  consuls  (a.d.  108). 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

He  divided  the  parish  churches  in  the  city  of  Rome  among  the 
priests/  and  ordained  7  deacons  to  keep  watch  over  the  bishop 
when  he  spoke,  for  the  sake  of  the  word  of  truth.^ 

He  held  3  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  17  priests, 
2  deacons,  15  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  in  the 
Batican,  October  27. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  19  days. 

Vn.   Alexander 

Alexander,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Alexander,  from  the 
region  of  Caput  Tauri,^  occupied  the  see  10  years,  7  months  and 
2  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Trajan  until  the  year  when  Helianus 
and  Vetus  were  consuls  (a.d.  116). 

He  introduced  the  passion  of  the  Lord  into  the  words  of  the 
priest  at  the  celebration  of  mass.^ 

contain  niches  or  places  for  his  immediate  successors.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I, 
p.  125,  n.  2,  and  p.  civ. 

1  Cletus  is  said  to  have  ordained  twenty-five  priests  to  serve  in  the  city,  Evaristus 
to  have  assigned  them  their  churches.     CJ.  supra,  p.  7,  and  infra,  p.  38,  n.  2. 

''Among  the  canons  of  the  apocryphal  council  of  Sylvester  {cf.  infra,  p.  45,  n.  i) 
is  the  following,  which  sheds  some  light  on  the  passage  here:  "There  shall  be  seven 
deacons  to  watch  over  the  officiating  bishop  for  the  sake  of  the  word  of  truth  and 
catholic  dogma  and  the  wisdom  of  age,  lest  in  speaking  we  say  Father  in  place  of  Son  or 
Holy  Spirit  in  place  of  Father."  Mommsen,  Lib.  Pont.,  p.  9.  On  the  institution  of 
the  seven  Roman  deacons  see  supra,  p.  6,  n.  i. 

^  Cf.  Lanciani,  Ruins  and  Excavations  of  Ancient  Rome,  p.  404.  The  district  is 
mentioned  again  in  the  Lib.  Pont,  as  the  home  of  Anastasius  II,  and  is  said  to  be  in  the 
Fifth  Region,  which,  if  the  reference  be  to  the  regions  of  Augustus,  comprised  a  large 
part  of  the  Esquiline  Hill  along  the  city  wall.  Cf.  infra,  p.  114.  The  boundaries  of  the 
seven  ecclesiastical  divisions,  said  to  have  been  created  by  Fabianus  {Infra,  p.  24),  are 
for  the  most  part  unknown.  For  an  account  of  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical  divisions 
see  Duchesne,  Melanges  d'Archeologic  et  d'Histoire,  vol.  I,  p.  126,  Gregorovius,  History 
of  Rome  in  the  Middle  Ages,  trans.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  80-82.  The  latter  gives 
the  conjectural  outlines  of  Fabianus'  regions. 

*  Le.  Alexander  introduced  the  passage  beginning,  "Qui  pridie,"  into  the  liturgy 


ALEXANDER,    XYSTUS   I  ii 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom  and  Eventius,  the  priest,  and 
Theodulus,  the  deacon,  were  crowned  together  with  him. 

He  appointed  the  blessing  of  the  water  of  sprinkUng  and  of  salt 
in  the  dwellings  of  the  people.^ 

He  held  3  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  6  priests,  2 
deacons,  5  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  on  the  Via  Nomentana,  where  he  was 
beheaded,-  not  more  than  7  miles  from  the  city  of  Rome, 
May  3. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  35  days. 

VIII.   Xystus  I 

Xystus,  by  nationahty  a  Roman,  son  of  Pastor,  from  the  district 
of  the  Via  Lata,  occupied  the  see  10  years, 

3  months  and  21  days.  |  2  months  and  i  day. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  x\drian,  until  the  year  when  Veru5> 
and  Anniculus  were  consuls  (a.d.  126).^ 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

He  ordained  that  consecrated  vessels  should  not  be  touched 
except  by  the  ministering  clergy.'* 

He  ordained  that  no   bishop  who  had  been  summoned  to  the 

Roman  | 

apostoHc  see  should  be  received  upon  his  return  to  his  parish, 

This,  like  all  accounts  of  early  papal  decrees,  is  of  course  fabrication,  an  attempt  to 
assign  a  definite,  primitive  origin  to  the  order  prevaiHng  in  the  sixth  century. 

1  An  allusion  to  the  custom  of  blessing  private  houses  with  a  sprinkling  of  water 
and  of  blessing  the  salt  which  the  owner  offers. 

2  The  "tomb  of  Alexander"  is  mentioned  in  an  itinerary  attributed  to  WiUiam  of 
Malmesbury.  The  site  of  it,  near  the  Via  Nomentana,  was  rediscovered  in  1855. 
But  it  is  probable  that  there  were  two  Alexanders  and  that  the  martyr  has  been  er- 
roneously identified  with  the  pope.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  xci  et  seq. 

3  The  Liberian  Catalogue  {cf.  Introduction,  p.  vi)  gives  the  consular  reckoning  more 
exactly;  viz.  "from  the  consulship  of  Niger  and  Apronianus  (a.d.  117)  to  the  3rd  con- 
sulship of  Verus  when  Ambibulus  was  consul  with  him  (a.d.  126)."  The  text  of  the 
Catalogue  is  printed  in  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  2-9;  also  in  Lightfoot's 
Clement  of  Rome,  pp.  253-258. 

*  One  of  several  decrees  ascribed  to  these  first  popes  emphasizing  the  sacredness 
of  altar  vessels  and  hangings.     Cf.  infra,  pp.  16  and  91. 


12 


LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 


unless  he  brought  with  him  the  unless  he  brought  with  him 
"formata"  of  general  greeting  the  letter  of  general  greeting 
from  the  apostolic  see.^  from    the    apostolic  see,   which 

is  the  ''formata." 
He  ordained  that  at  the  be- 
ginning of  mass  the  priest  should 
chant  to  the  people  the  hymn, 
"Sanctus,  sanctus,  sanctus, 
dominus  deus  Sabaoth,"  etc,^ 

He  held  3  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  11  priests,  4 
deacons,  4  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  in  the 
Batican,  April  3. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  2  months. 


IX.   Telesphorus 

Telesphorus,  by  nationality  a  Greek,  previously  an  anchorite, 
occupied  the  see  11  years,  3  months  and  21  days.  He  was  bishop 
in  the  time  of  Antoninus  and  Marcus.^ 

He  ordained  that  the  fast  of  seven  weeks  should  be  kept  before 
Easter.^ 

He  was  crowned  with  mar- 
tyrdom. 

He  appointed  that  at  the  sea- 
son of  the  nativity  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ 


and  that  at  the  season  of  the 
Lord's  nativity 


1  This  seems  to  be  a  garbled  form  of  an  edict  recorded  in  the  acts  of  the  spurious 
Council  of  Sylvester  {supra,  p.  ix,  infra,  p.  45,  n.  i),  which  required  each  bishop  to  take 
home  with  him  a  written  report  of  the  decisions  of  the  council,  so  that  they  might 
be  accurately  known  to  the  people.  The  ordinance  as  it  stands  in  our  text  is  unintel- 
ligible.    Duchesne,  op.  cil.,  p.  128,  n.  4. 

"The  "Sanctus,"  like  the  "Sursum  corda"  and  the  opening  words  of  the  preface, 
"Vere  dignum, "  etc.,  are  included  in  every  hturgy  that  has  come  down  to  us.  They 
were  perhaps  in  use  even  as  early  as  Xystus.     Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  128,  n.  5. 

^  The  Liberian  Catalogue  gives  the  consulships  omitted  here;  viz.  "from  the 
consulship  of  Titianus  and  Gallicanus  (a.d.  127)  until  the  year  when  Caesar  and  Bal- 
binus  were  consuls  (a.d.  137)." 

*  The  fast  before  Easter  was  observed  before  the  pontificate  of  Telesphorus.     It  is 


TELESPHORUS,    HYGINUS  13 

masses  should  be  celebrated  during  the  night ;  ^  for  in  general  no 
one  presumed  to  celebrate  mass  before  tierce,  the  hour  when  our 
Lord  ascended  the  cross ; 

and  that  at  the  opening  of  the 
sacrifice 


and  that  before  the  sacrifice 


the  angelic  hymn  should  be  repeated,  namely,  ''Gloria  in  excelsis 
deo" 


etc.,  but  only  upon   the  night 
of  the  Lord's  nativity .^ 


He  was  crowned  with  martyr- 
dom. 


He  also  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  in  the 
Batican,  January  2. 

He  held  4  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  12  priests,  8 
deacons  and  13  bishops  in  divers  places. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  7  days. 

X.   Hyginus 

Yginus,  by  nationality  a  Greek,  previously  a  philosopher  of 
Athens,  whose  ancestry  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain,  occupied 
the  see 

10  years,  3  months  and  7  days.    |  4  years,  3  months  and  4  days. 

described  by  Irenaeus  a  few  years  later  as  a  custom  of  the  ancestors,  dating  back 
nearly  to  apostolic  times.  The  length,  however,  was  at  first  variable.  See  the  interest- 
ing discussion  in  'Eusehius'  Church  History,  Ub.  V,  c.  24,  trans.  McGiffert,  Nicene  and  Post 
Nicene  Fathers,  ser.  II,  vol.  I,  p.  243.  Mommsen  cites  the  passage  here  as  an  indica- 
tion that  the  Lib.  Pont,  was  not  compiled  until  the  seventh  century.  He  points  out 
that  under  Leo  I,  Gelasius  and  Gregory  I  the  Lenten  fast  lasted  only  six  weeks  and  that 
therefore  our  author  must  have  written  after  the  death  of  Gregory.  Lib.  Pont.,  p.  xvii. 
Cf.  Introduction,  p.  xii. 

1  The  night  mass  at  Christmas  is  still  a  feature  of  the  Roman  ritual.  The  author 
of  the  Lib.  Pont,  is  the  earliest  writer  to  allude  to  it.  It  can  hardly  have  been  instituted 
before  the  date  of  the  Nativity  was  fixed  during  the  fourth  century. 

^  Pope  Symmachus  introduced  the  angelic  hymn  into  all  masses  celebrated  on 
Sundays  or  feast  days.  Cf.  infra,  p.  123.  The  institution  applied,  however,  only  to 
papal  masses.  The  priests  in  Rome  were  forbidden  to  chant  the  "Gloria,"  except  at 
Easter,  as  late  as  the  eleventh  century.  In  the  early  Galilean  ritual  the  "Benedictus" 
was  sung  at  the  opening  of  mass  instead  of  the  "Gloria."  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont,, 
vol.  I,  p.  130,  n.  5.     Atchley,  Ordo  Romanus  Primus,  pp.  71-72. 


14  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Verus  and  Marcus,  from  the  consul- 
ship of  Magnus  and  Camerinus  (a.d.  138)  until  the  year  when 
Orfitus  and 

Camerinus  were  consuls.  |  Priscus  were  consuls  (a.d.  149). 

He  set  in  order  the  clergy  and  distributed  ranks.^ 

He  held  3  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  15  priests, 
5  deacons,  6  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  in  the 
Batican,  January  11. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  3  days. 


XI.   Pius  I 

Pius,  by  nationality  an  Itahan,  son  of  Rufinus,  brother  of  the 
shepherd,^  from  the  city  of  Aquilegia,^  occupied  the  see  19  years, 
4  months 

and  21  days.  |  and  3  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Antoninus  Pius,  from  the  consulship 
of  Clarus  and  Severus  (a.d.  146).^ 
While  he  was  bishop, 

his  brother  I 

Hermas  wrote  a  book  in  which  he  set  forth  the  commandment 
which  the  angel  of  the  Lord  delivered  to  him,  coming  to  him  in  the 
garb  of  a  shepherd  and  commanding  him  that 

1  A  vague  phrase.  The  author  may  merelj'  intend  to  convey  that  Hyginus  carried 
further  the  organization  of  the  clergy  into  definite  ranks  and  the  assignment  of  special 
tasks  and  functions. 

2  Hermas,  surnamed  Pastor  or  Shepherd,  from  the  title  Pastor  or  Uol/jlt^v  of  his 
book.  See  in  the  text  below.  He  was  a  second  century  writer  whose  treatise,  which 
contained  an  account  of  a  revelation  from  an  angel,  was  once  in  such  repute  as  to  be 
read  in  the  churches.  It  was  composed  originally  in  Greek  but  was  early  translated 
into  Latin.  Jerome  says  of  it  that  in  his  day  it  was  still  read  in  the  churches  of  Greece, 
although  it  had  almost  been  forgotten  among  the  Latins.  Dc  Viris  Illustribus,  c.  x,  ed. 
Richardson,  p.  14.  An  English  translation  of  The  Shepherd  of  Hermas  may  be  found 
in  volume  II  of  The  Apostolic  Fathers  in  the  Loeb  Classical  Library. 

^  I.e.  Aquileia. 

*  The  second  pair  of  consuls  is  here  omitted ;  "  until  the  year  when  the  two  Augusti 
were  consuls  (a.d.  161)."     Liberian  Catalogue. 


PIUS   I,     ANICETUS  15 

the  holy  feast  of  Easter  |  Easter 

be  observed  upon  the  Lord's  day.^ 

He  ordained  that  a  heretic  coming  out  from  the  heresy  of  the 
Jews  should  be  received  and  baptised ;  ^  and  he  made  a  regulation 
for  the  church. 

He  held  5  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  19  priests, 
21  deacons,  bishops  12  in  number  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  in  the 
Batican,  July  11. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  14  days.^ 

XII.  Anicetus 

Anicetus,  by  nationahty  a  Syrian,  son  of  John,  from  the  town  of 
Humisa,^  occupied  the  see 
9  years,  3  months  and  3  days.     |     11  years,  4  months  and  3  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Severus  ^  and  Marcus,  from  the 
consulship  of  Gallicanus  and  Vetus  (a.d.  150)  until  the  year  when 
Prsesens  and  Rulinus  were  consuls  (a.d.  153). 

He  forbade  the  clergy  to  grow  long  hair,  following  thus  the 
precept  of  the  apostle.® 

He  held  5  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  19  priests,  4 
deacons,  9  bishops  in  divers  places. 

1  There  is  no  mention  of  Easter  in  the  book  of  Hernias. 

2  Duchesne  cites  the  fact  that  Prudentius  in  his  Apotheosis  classes  the  Jews  with  the 
heretics.     Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  132,  n.  5. 

3  In  manuscripts  of  the  eleventh  century  the  following  sentences  have  been  added 
to  the  life  of  Pius,  drawn  undoubtedly  from  the  story  of  SS.  Pudentiana  andPraxedis 
{Cf.  Acta  Sanctorum,  May,  vol.  IV,  p.  299.)  "He  by  request  of  the  blessed  Praxedis 
dedicated  a  church  in  the  baths  of  Novatus  in  the  Vicus  Patricius  to  the  honor  of  her 
sister,  the  holy  Pudentiana,  where  also  he  offered  many  gifts  and  frequently  he  minis- 
tered, offering  sacrifice  to  the  Lord.  Moreover  he  erected  a  font  of  baptism  and  with 
his  own  hand  he  blessed  and  dedicated  it  and  many  who  gathered  to  the  faith  he 
baptised  in  the  name  of  the  Trinity."  The  church  of  Santa  Pudenziana  is  mentioned 
in  an  epitaph  of  a.d.  384.     For  the  Vicus  Patricius,  cf.  supra,  p.  7,  n.  i. 

^  I.e.  Emesa,  an  important, city  of  northern  Syria. 

5  An  error  for  Verus..  The  chronology  is  mistaken.  The  pontificate  was  prob- 
ably from  154-5  to  166-7.     Cf.  Hefele,  Hist.  d.  Conciles,  I,  p.  136. 

«  Jerome  alludes  to  a  prohibition  of  this  sort.  In  Ezech.,  XLiv,  20.  Quoted  by 
Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  134,  n.  3.     Cf.  I  Corinthians,  xi.  14- 


i6  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

He  also  died  a  martyr  and  was  buried 

near   the  body  of    the  blessed     in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus/ 
Peter  in  the  Vatican, 

April  20. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  1 7  days. 

XIII.     SOTER 

Soter,  by  nationality  a  Campanian,  son  of  Concordius,  from  the 
city  of  Fundi, ^  occupied  the  see  9  years,  6  months  and  21  days. 
He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Severus,^  from  the  consulship  of  Rus- 
ticus  and  Aquilinus  (a.d.  162)  until  the  year  when  Cetegus  and 
Clarus  were  consuls  (a.d.  170). 

He  ordained  that  no  monk  should  touch  the  consecrated  altar 
cloth  or  should  offer  incense  in  the  holy  church.^ 

He  held  3  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  18  priests,  9 
deacons,  1 1  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried 


near  the  body   of    the   blessed 
Peter, 

April  22. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  2 1  days 


in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus  on 
the  Via  Appia,^ 


XIV.   Eleutherius 

Eleuther,  by  nationality  a  Greek,  son  of  Habundius,  from  the 
town  of  Nicopolis,®  occupied  the  see  15  years,  3  months  and  2  days. 

1  This  cemetery,  if  in  existence  at  the  time,  was  certainly  not  known  by  the  name 
of  Callistus,  who  was  the  fifth  pope  after  Anicetus.  C/.  infra,  p,  21.  The  reading  in 
the  first  column  is  probably  the  correct  one. 

"^  The  modern  Fondi. 

'  This  should  be  Verus. 

^  Several  manuscripts  read  "no  nun"  instead  of  "no  monk."  They  are  perhaps 
influenced  by  the  passage  m  the  life  of  Pope  Boniface  I.  "Boniface  decreed  that  no 
woman  or  nun  should  touch  the  consecrated  altar  cloth."  Infra,  p.  91.  The  author 
of  the  Lib.  Pont,  undoubtedly  belonged  to  the  secular  clergy. 

*  Cf.  supra,  n.  i. 

*  The  city  of  Nicopolis  in  Epirus  at  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  Arta. 


SOTER,    ELEUTHERIUS,    VICTOR  17 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Antoninus  and  Commodus  until  the 
year  when  Paternus  and  Bradua  were  consuls  (a.d.  185). 

He  received  a  letter  from  Lucius,  king  of  Britain,  asking  him  to 
appoint  a  way  by  which  Lucius  might  become  a  Christian.^ 


He  also  decreed 


He   also    confirmed    again    the 
decree 


that  no  kind  of  food 

in  common  use  ( 

should  be  rejected  especially  by  the  Christian  faithful,  inasmuch 
as  God  created  it ;  provided,  however,  it  were  rational  food  and  fit 
for  human  kind.^ 

He  held  3  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  12  priests,  8 
deacons,  15  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  in  the 
Batican,  May  24, 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  15  days. 


XV.   Victor 

Victor,  by  nationality  an  African,  son  of  Felix,  occupied  the  see 

15  years,  3  months  and  10  days.  |  10  years,  2  months  and  10  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Caesar  Augustus,^  from  the  2nd 
consulship  of  Commodus  when  Gravio  *  was  his  colleague  (a.d. 
186)  until  the  year  when  Lateranus  and  Rufinus  were  consuls 
(a.d.  197). 

1  The  source  of  or  ground  for  this  extraordinary  statement  is  quite  unknown.  It 
appears  first  here  in  the  Lib.  Pont.  Bede  and  other  medieval  EngHsh  chroniclers  built 
up  considerable  legend  upon  it.  Bede,  Ecclesiastical  History,  I,  c.  4,  tr.  Giles  (Bohn's 
Library),  p.  10. 

2  The  apostle  Paul  had  already  prohibited  the  classification  of  certain  foods  as  un- 
clean. Romans,  xiv;  Colossians,  ii.  16,  17;  /  Timothy,  iv.  3,  etc.  Our  author  may 
have  had  in  mind  the  Manichean  practice  of  condemning  wine  and  meat,  of  which 
much  was  heard  in  Rome  in  the  fifth  century. 

'  Severus. 

^  A  corruption  for  Glabrio. 


i8 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


He  appointed  that  the  holy  feast  of  Easter  should  be  observed 
upon  the  Lord's  day, 


as  Eleuther  had  done. 


as  Pius  had  done.^ 


He  added  acolytes  to  the  clergy.^ 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

He  also  ordained  that,  at  a  time  of  necessity,  any  gentile  who 
came  to  be  baptised,  wherever  it  might  be,  whether  in  a  river  or  in 
the  sea  or  in  a  spring 


or  in  a  marsh, 

if  only  he  pronounced  the  Chris- 
tian confession  of  faith, 


if     only    he    said    clearly    the 
Christian    confession    of    faith, 


should  be  thereafter  a  Christian  in  full  standing.^ 

He  held  2  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  4  priests,  7 
deacons,  12  bishops  in  divers  places. 


He  also  summoned  a  council 
and  an  inquiry  was  made  of 
Theophilus,   bishop    of  Alexan- 


He  instituted  an  inquiry 
among  the  clergy  concerning  the 
cycle  of  Easter  and  the  Lord's 


1  The  feast  of  Easter  was  celebrated  on  Sunday  long  before  the  time  of  Victor. 
See  supra,  p.  15.  There  was,  however,  a  fresh  discussion  about  this  time  as  to  the  mode 
of  determination  of  the  date,  of  which  Jerome  preserves  a  reminiscence  when  he  says 
that  Victor  wrote  treatises  "  on  the  question  of  Easter  and  other  matters."  De  Viris 
Illustribus,  c.  34,  ed.  Richardson,  p.  25.  Eusebius  has  an  interesting  account  of  the 
disagreement  between  those  who  followed  the  Jewish  custom  and  celebrated  Easter 
on  the  Passover  day,  whenever  in  the  week  it  fell,  and  those  who  insisted  upon  celebrat- 
ing it  on  Sunday  as  the  day  of  resurrection.  Church  History,  V,  cc.  23-25,  trans.  Mc- 
Giffert,  pp.  241-244.  Jaile  {Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  11)  gives  a  decree  of  the  synod  held  at 
Rome  between  190  and  194,  which  provided  that  the  Lord's  resurrection  should  be 
celebrated  always  upon  Sunday.  It  seems  likely  that  Victor  actually  excommunicated 
the  Eastern  churches  which  persisted  in  adhering  to  the  Jewish  calendar.  On  the 
importance  of  Victor's  pontificate  see  Langen,  Gcschichie  der  Romischen  Kirche  and 
the  volume  on  the  early  papacy  in  this  series. 

2  There  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  translation  of  this  sentence.  "Hie  fecit  sequentes 
cleros."  It  may  also  mean:  "he  instituted  clergy  in  attendance,"  i.e.  the  notaries 
and  subdeacons  of  the  papal  court  as  distinguished  from  the  local  or  parish  clergy  con- 
nected with  the  different  local  churches.  CJ.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Poiil.,  vol.  I,  p.  137,  n.  4, 
and  Ducange,  Glossarium  MedicB  et  Infinicc  Laliiiilalis ,  under  Sequens.  Harnack, 
Sources  of  the  Apostolic  Canons,  tr.  Wheatley,  p.  88,  n.  3. 

3  Pope  Gelasius  in  a  letter  written  in  494  to  the  bishops  of  Lucania  makes  a  similar 
provision  for  baptism  in  time  of  emergency.  Mansi,  Conciliorum  Amplissima  Collectio, 
vol.  VIII,  p.  37.     Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  85,  636. 


VICTOR,   ZEPHYRINUS  19 


dria,  concerning  Easter  and  the 
first  day  of  the  week  and  the 
moon. 


day  for  Easter  and  he  gathered 
together  the  priests  and  the  bish- 
ops. Then  Theophilus,  bishop 
of  Alexandria,  was  questioned 
and  in  the  assembly  it  was 
decided  that  the  Lord's  day 
between  the  14th  day  of  the 
moon  in  the  first  month  and  the 
2ist  day  of  the  moon  should  be 
kept  as  the  holy  feast  of  Easter.^ 

He  was  buried  near  the  body  of  the  blessed  apostle  Peter  in  the 
Batican,  July  28. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  12  days. 

XVI.    Zephyrinus 

Zepherinus,  by  nationahty  a  Roman,  son  of  Habundius,  occupied 
the  see 

18  years,  3  months  and  10  days.  |  8  years,  7  months  and  10  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Antoninus  and  Severus,  from  the 
consulship  of  Saturninus  and  Gallicanus  (a.d.  198)  to  the  year 
when  Presens  and  Stricatus  were  consuls  (a.d.  217). 

He  decreed  that  in  the  presence  of  all  the  clergy  and  the  faith- 
ful laity  every  cleric,  deacon  or  priest,  should  be  ordained.^ 

He  also  made  a  regulation  for  the  church,^  that  there  should 
be  vessels  of  glass  before  the  priests  in  the  church  and  servitors  to 
hold  them  while  the  bishop  was  celebrating  mass  and  priests  stand- 
ing about  him.     Thus  mass  should  be  celebrated  and  the  clergy 

1  I.e.  between  full  moon  and  the  third  quarter  of  the  moon.  The  first  month  was 
March.  The  narrative  here  again  is  a  confused  memory  of  the  great  controversy  over 
Easter.  Cf.  supra,  p.  i8,  n.  i.  The  Theophilus  who  took  part  in  the  synod  was  bishop 
of  Ceesarea.  He  has  been  mistaken  for  the  later  and  more  famous  Theophilus  of  Alex- 
andria. The  present  lunar  method  of  reckoning  the  date  was  not  worked  out  until 
the  fifth  century.     Duchesne,  op.  cil.,  p.  138,  n.  6. 

2  So  far  as  we  have  record,  the  ordination  ceremonies  of  the  clergy  have  always 
been  public. 

3  The  following  passage  is  corrupt  and  obscure.  It  must  be  read  freely  in  order 
to  get  any  meaning  from  it.  It  deals  apparently  with  the  part  played  by  the  assisting 
clergy  in  the  episcopal  mass. 


20  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

should  assist  in  all  the  ceremony,  except  in  that  which  belongs  only 
to  the  bishop ;  from  the  consecration  of  the  bishop's  hand  the  priest 
should  receive  the  consecrated  wafer  to  distribute  to  the  people. 

He  held  4  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  14  priests, 
7  deacons,  13  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  in  his  own  cemetery  near  the  cemetery  of 
CaHstus  on  the  Via  Appia,  August  25.^ 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  6  days. 


XVII.    Callistus  I 

Calistus,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Domitius,  from  the 
district  Urbs  Ravennantium,^  occupied  the  see 

5  years,  |  6  years, 

2  months  and  10  days.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Macrinus 
and  Theodoliobullus,^  from  the  consulship  of  Antoninus  (a.d,  218) 
and  of  Alexander  (a.d.  222). 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

He  instituted  a  fast  from  corn,  wine  and  oil  upon  the  Sabbath 
day  thrice  in  the  year,  according  to  the  word  of  the  prophet,  of  a 
fourth,  of  a  seventh,  and  of  a  tenth.* 

He  built  a  basilica  beyond  the  Tiber.^ 

He  held  5  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  16  priests, 
4  deacons,  8  bishops  in  divers  places. 

1  Later  tradition  fixed  Zephyrinus'  tomb  in  a  small  basilica  over  the  catacomb  of 
Callistus.  Beginning  with  him  the  popes  of  the  third  century  were  buried  in  the 
cemeteries  about  the  Via  Appia,  no  longer  in  the  resting  place  of  the  apostle  Peter, 
which  may  have  been  full. 

2  A  district  beyond  the  Tiber  peopled  by  settlers  from  Ravenna,  the  modern 
Trastevere. 

'  A  corrupt  form  for  Heliogabalus. 

*  Zechariah,  VIII,  19.  Some  manuscripts  give  the  reading,  "in  the  fourth,  the 
seventh  and  the  tenth  months."  If  one  adds  the  fast  of  Lent,  which  took  place  during 
the  first  month,  March,  one  has  the  fasts  of  the  four  seasons  which  are  mentioned  in 
early  Roman  liturgies  and  in  the  homilies  of  St.  Leo.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  141, 
n.  4. 

*  On  or  near  the  site  of  Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere,  which  was  called  sometimes  the 
church  of  Callistus  as  late  as  the  eighth  century. 


CALLISTUS   I,    URBANUS   I 


21 


He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calipodius  on  the  Via 
Aurelia  at  the  third  milestone/  October  14. 

He  constructed  another  cemetery  on  the  Via  Appia,  where  many 
priests  and  martyrs  rest,  which  is  called  even  to  this  day  the  ceme- 
tery of  Calistus. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  16  days. 

XVIII.    Urbanus   I 

Urbanus,  by  nationahty  a  Roman,  son  of  Pontianus,  occupied 
the  see 


9  years,  i  month  and  2  days.^ 

He  instituted  sacred  vessels 
of  silver, 


4  years,  10  months  and  12  days. 
He  had  all  sacred  vessels  made 
of  silver. 


and  he  gave  as  an  offering  25  patens  of  silver.^ 


He  also  ob- 
tained glory  as 
a  confessor  in 
the  time  of  Dio- 
cletian.^ 


He  was  him- 
self a  con- 
fessor. 


He  was  him- 
self a  confessor 
in  the  time  of 
Diocletian. 


He  was  him- 
self a  confessor 
at  the  time 
when  Maximin 
and  Africanus 
were  consuls. 


He  by  his  teaching  turned  many  to  baptism  and  faith  and 
among  them  Valerianus,  a  man  of  high  nobility,  husband  of  the 
holy  Cecilia. 


1  The  catacomb  of  Calepodius  on  the  Via  Aurelia,  of  which  few  traces  now  are 
visible.  The  body  of  Callistus  may  have  been  hurriedly  buried  there  because  it  was 
nearer  to  the  scene  of  his  martyrdom  than  his  own  cemetery.  For  the  traditional 
account  ot  his  death  see  Acta  Sanctorum,  October,  vol.  VI,  p.  430. 

2  The  Liherian  Catalogue  says:  "He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Alexander,  from 
the  consulship  of  Maximus  and  Elianus  (a.d.  223)  until  the  year  when  Agricola  and 
Clementinus  were  consuls  (a.d.  230)." 

3  The  number  is  intended  probably  to  correspond  to  that  of  the  parish  churches, 
one  paten  for  each  church.  Glass  was  also  a  favorite  material  for  the  sacred  vessels 
at  this  early  period.     Cf.  jz^^o,  pp.  7,  n.  i ;   iq.     Lowne,  Christian  Art  and  Archceology, 

PP-  343,  357- 

*  A  careless  anachronism.  The  history  of  Pope  Urban  has  been  apparently  con- 
fused with  that  of  a  confessor  Urban,  who  may  have  lived  under  Diocletian. 


22  '  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

These  he  guided  even  to  the  palm  of  martyrdom/ 

and   many  were   crowned  with      and    through    his    exhortations 
martyrdom  through  his  words.        many  were  crowned  with  mar- 
tyrdom. 

He  held  5  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  19  priests, 
7  deacons,  8  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Pretextatus  on  the  Via 
Appia.^ 

The  blessed  Tiburtius  buried  him.  May  19. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  30  days. 

XIX.     PONTIANUS    (230-235) 

Pontianus,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Calpurnius,  occu- 
pied the  see 
5  years,  2  months  and  22  days.      |  9  years,  5  months  and  2  days. 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time 
of  Alexander,  from  the  consulship  of  Pompeianus  and  Pelinianus 
(a.d.  231). 

At  that  time  Pontianus,  the  bishop,  and  Ypolitus,  the  priest,^ 

1  The  Passion  of  St.  Cecilia,  with  some  form  of  which  the  author  of  the  Lib.  Pont. 
was  acquainted,  was  compiled,  in  the  opinion  of  Mommsen,  during  the  fifth  century 
and  probably  in  Africa.  The  following  is  the  earliest  version  given  in  the  Acta  Sanc- 
lorum  (May,  vol.  VI,  p.  n).  "Cecilia,  a  virgin  of  lofty  rank,  carried  always  the 
gospel  of  Christ  hidden  in  her  bosom.  .  .  .  She  was  espoused  to  a  young  man,  Valeri- 
anus.  .  .  .  Valerianus  .  .  .  found  the  holy  Urbanus,  the  bishop,  who  had  already  been 
twice  a  confessor  and  was  in  hiding  among  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs.  ...  '  Dost  thou 
call  thyself  that  Urbanus  whom  the  Christians  entitle  their  pope  ?  I  hear  that  he  is  now 
condemned  a  second  time  and  again  he  has  betaken  himself  into  hiding  for  the  same 
cause.'    .  .  .   (Valerianus  and  Tiburtius,  his  brother,)  were  executed  with  the  sword. 

The  holy  Urbanus  baptised  in  her  (Cecilia's)  house  more  than  four  hundred  of 
both  sexes.  .  .  .  Almachius  commanded  that  CeciHa  should  be  brought  before  him 
and  he  asked  her,  saying.  ...  'Of  what  state  art  thou?'  Ceciha  said,  'A  free 
woman  and  a  noble  of  high  rank.'    .  .  .     The  examiner  beheaded  (Cecilia)." 

2  Pope  Urban  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Callistus,  where  his  epitaph  has  been 
discovered.  Another  Urban,  perhaps  the  confessor,  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of 
Praetextatus  and  his  name  preserved  by  the  neighboring  church  of  San  Urbano  alia 
CafFarella.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  143,  n.  5. 

3  This  is  thought  to  be  the  famous  Hippolytus,  bishop  of  Porto,  mentioned  in  the 
Introduction,  p.  iv,  whose  statue  is  now  in  the  Lateran  museum.  A  translation  of  his 
work.  On  the  Refutation  of  Heresies,  which  treats  of  pagan  science  and  philosophy, 


PONTIANUS,    ANTEROS 


23 


were  transported  into  exile  by  Alexander  to  the  island  of  Bucina^ 
in  Sardinia  during  the  consulship  of  Severus  and  Quintianus  (a.d. 
235).  In  that  island  he  was  maltreated  and  beaten  with  clubs 
and  he  died,  October  30.  In  his  place  Antheros  was  ordained, 
November  21. 

He  held  2  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  6  priests, 
5  deacons,  6  bishops  in  divers  places. 


And  the  blessed 
Fabianus  brought 
him  back  in  a  boat 
and  buried  him  in  the 
cemetery  of  Calistus 
on  the  Via  Appia.^ 
And  the  bishopric 
was  empty  10  days. 


And  the  blessed 
Fabianus  brought 
him  back  with  clergy 
in  a  ship  and  buried 
him  in  the  catacombs. 


And  he  was  buried 
in  the  cemetery  of 
Calistus  on  the  Via 
Appia.  The  bishop- 
ric was  empty  from 
the  day  of  his  burial 
until  November  21. 


XX.   Anteros  (235-236) 

Antheros,  by  nationality  a  Greek,  son  of  Romulus,  occupied  the 
see 
I  month  and  12  days.  |  12  years,  i  month  and  12  days. 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom  at  the  time  when  Maximin 
and  Africanus  were  consuls  (a.d.  236).^ 

He  collected  carefully  from  the  notaries  the  acts  of  the  martyrs 
and  of  the  readers  and  deposited  them  in  the  church, 


because  at  one  time  Maximus,  a 
priest,  had  been  a  martyr.^ 


for  the  sake  of  one  Maximinus 
a  priest,  who  had  been  crowned 
with  martyrdom. 


jugglery  and  priestcraft,  as  well  as  of  Jewish  and  Christian  heresies,  is  in  the  Ante 
Nicene  Fathers,  vol.  V.     Cf.  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Part  I,  Vol.  II,  pp.  316-477. 

1  No  island  of  this  name  is  known  near  Sardinia.     The  word  is  probably  garbled. 

2  The  epitaph  of  Pontianus  has  disappeared,  but  on  the  doorway  of  the  papal 
crypt  among  other  graffiti  the  following  words  have  been  roughly  scrawled :  "Mayest 
thou  live,  Pontianus,  ...  in  God  with  all."  They  may  have  been  written  by  a  wit- 
ness of  his  interment.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  146,  n.  8. 

^  The  Liberian  Catalogue  says  of  Anteros  simply  that  he  died  after  a  pontificate  of 
forty  days.     His  name  does  not  occur  in  the  lists  of  martyrs. 

*  No  other  clear  reference  to  this  martyred  priest,  Maximus  or  Maximinus,  has 


24  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


He  created  one  bishop  in  the 
city  of  Fundi,  in  the  Campania, 
during  the  month  of  December. 


He  held  one  ordination,  i 
bishop,  in  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber. 


He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus  on  the  Via  Appia,^ 
January  3. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  13  days. 


XXI.   Fabianus  (236-250) 

Fabianus,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Fabius,  occupied 
the  see  14  years, 

I  month  and  10  days.  |  11  months  and  11  days. 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time 
of  Maximus  and  Africanus  (a.d.  236)  until  the  year  when  Decius 
was  consul  the  2nd  time  and  Quadratus  was  his  colleague  (a.d.  250), 
and  he  suffered  January  29. 

He  divided  the  districts  among  the  deacons  ^  and  created 
7  subdeacons  to  be  associated  with  the  7  notaries,  that  they 
might  faithfully  compile  the  acts  of  the  martyrs,  omitting 
nothing.^ 

And  he  commanded  many  buildings  to  be  erected  throughout 
the  cemeteries.^ 

And  after  his  passion  Moyses  and  Maximus,  priests,  and  Nico- 
stratus,  a  deacon,  were  seized  and  committed  to  prison. 

At  that  time  Novatus  arrived  from  Africa  and  drew  away  from 

come  down  to  us.  On  the  other  hand  there  are  numerous  unidentified  martyrs  of  the 
name  in  the  Roman  calendars  and  the  date  of  his  death  falls  during  the  persecution  of 
Maximin.  The  author  of  the  Lib.  Pont,  was  in  possession  of  a  tradition  or  a  history 
which  has  since  been  lost.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  xcv-xcvi. 

1  His  brief  epitaph  is  in  the  papal  crypt.     Duchesne,  ibid.,  p.  147,  n.  4. 

2  On  the  ecclesiastical  divisions  of  the  city,  see  supra,  p.  10,  n.  3. 

3  The  seven  subdeacons  of  Rome  are  mentioned  in  a  letter  of  Cornelius  written 
about  two  years  after  Fabianus'  death  to  Fabius  of  Antioch.  Eusebius,  Church  History, 
VI,  c.  43,  tr.  McGiffert,  Nicene  and  Post  Nicene  Fathers,  Series  2,  vol.  I,  p.  288. 
Infra,  p.  35,  n.  i.  Hamack,  Sources  of  the  Apostolic  Canons,  tr.  Wheatley,  pp.  93-95. 
On  the  work  of  the  notaries  in  preserving  records  of  the  martyrs  see  supra,  p.  8,  n.  i. 

*  De  Rossi  thinks  that  Fabianus  continued  the  construction  of  the  cemetery  of 
Callistus  both  above  and  below  ground.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  149,  n.  5. 


FABIANUS,    CORNELIUS  25 

the  church  Novatian  and  certain  confessors.^  Afterwards  Moyses 
died  in  prison,  when  he  had  been  there  1 1  months ;  and  therefore 
many  Christians  fled  to  divers  places. 

He  held  5  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  22  priests, 
7  deacons,  11  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus  on  the  Via  Appia,^ 
January  20. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  7  days. 

XXII.   Cornelius  (251-253) 

Cornelius,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Castinus,  occupied 
the  see  2  years, 

3  months  and  10  days.  |  2  months  and  3  days.^ 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

While  he  was  bishop  Novatus  ordained  Novatian  without  the 
church  and  Nicostratus  in  Africa.^  After  this  the  confessors  who 
had  left  Cornelius  returned  into  the  church  together  with  Maxi- 
mus,  the  priest,  who  had  been  with  Moyses,  and  they  became  faith- 
ful confessors.  Then  Cornelius,  the  bishop,  was  banished  to 
Centumcellae  ^  and  there  he  received  a  letter  written  and  sent  for 
his  encouragement  by  Cyprian,  which  Cyprian  wrote  in  prison  to 
tell  of  Celerinus,  the  reader.® 

1  This  passage  and  the  allusion  to  the  consecration  of  Novatian  as  antipope  in  the 
time  of  Cornelius  refer  to  the  beginnings  of  the  Novatian  schism  which  lasted  two 
centuries  and  spread  over  the  empire.  Novatus,  Novatian  and  their  adherents  refused 
to  readmit  to  communion  those  Christians  who  under  stress  of  persecution  had  sacri- 
ficed to  idols  after  being  baptized.  Eusebius  has  an  animated  account  of  the  discussion 
over  this  question  at  the  close  of  the  terrible  persecution  of  Decius ;  Church  History, 
VI,  cc.  42-45,  tr.  McGiffert,  pp.  285-291. 

2  The  name  and  title  of  Fabianus  are  cut  into  the  stone  of  the  papal  crjqat  in  the 
catacomb  of  Callistus,  close  to  those  of  Anteros.  The  letters  MTP,  the  abbreviation 
for  martyr,  have  been  added  to  the  inscription,  but  they  are  not  cut  so  deep  and  are 
probably  by  a  later  hand.     Duchesne,  ihid.,  p.  149,  n.  8. 

3  The  Libcrian  Catalogue  adds,  "from  the  3rd  consulship  of  Decius  and  the  2nd  of 
Decius  (a.d.  251)  to  the  year  when  Gallus  and  Volusianus  were  consuls  (a.d.  252)." 

*  C/.  n.  I  on  this  page.  Also  for  letters  of  Cornelius  describing  some  of  these  events, 
Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  17,  106;  p.  18,  in. 

*  The  modern  Civitavecchia. 

«The  Passio  Cornelii,  composed  perhaps  in  the  fifth  century,  thus  expands  this 
passage.     "At  the  same  time  the  blessed  Cyprian,  the  bishop,  wrote  to  the  blessed 


26  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  during  his  pontificate  at  the  request  of  a  certain  matron, 
Lucina,  took  up  the  bodies  of  the  apostles,  blessed  Peter  and  Paul, 
from  the  catacombs  by  night ;  first  the  body  of  the  blessed  Paul 
was  received  by  the  blessed  Lucina  and  laid  in  her  own  garden 
on  the  Via  Ostiensis, 

near  the  place  |  beside  the  place 

where  he  was  beheaded ;  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter  was  received 
by  the  blessed  Cornehus,  the  bishop,  and  laid  near  the  place  where 
he  was  crucified,  among  the  bodies  of  the  holy  bishops,  in  the  shrine 
of  Apollo,  on  the  Mons  Aureus,^  in  the  Batican,  by  the  palace  of 
Nero,  June  29.^ 

Afterwards  he  held  one  ordi- 
nation, 8  priests,  and  walked  by 
night  from  Centumcellae. 


Cornelius,  while  he  was  in  custody,  to  tell  of  Celerinus,  the  reader,  what  stripes  he  had 
endured  for  the  faith  and  confession  of  Christ."  As  a  matter  of  fact  Cyprian  himself 
was  not  in  prison  when  he  wrote  to  Cornelius  in  exile.  His  letter  has  been  preserved, 
along  with  others  in  which  the  sufferings  of  Celerinus  are  described.  Epp.,  Ix,  xxi, 
xxxix,  Corpus  Scriptorum  Ecdesiasticorum  Lathwrum,  vol.  Ill,  pp.  691-695,  529- 
532,  581-585;  Eng.  tr.  in  Ante  Nicene  Fathers,  vol.  V,  Epp.  Ivi,  xx,  xxxiii ;  pp. 
350-352,  298-299,  312-314.  The  tenor  of  the  letter  to  Cornehus  may  be  inferred 
from  an  extract.  "  It  cannot  be  sufficiently  expressed  how  great  were  the  exultation 
and  the  joy  here  when  we  heard  of  your  success  and  courage,  that  you  had  stood  forth 
as  a  leader  of  confession  to  the  brethren  there,  and  that,  moreover,  the  confession  of 
the  leader  had  been  multiplied  by  the  loyalty  of  the  brethren ;  so  that  while  you 
precede  them  to  glory  you  have  made  many  your  companions  in  glory  and  have 
persuaded  the  people  to  confess  by  being  first  yourself  prepared  to  confess  on  behalf 
of  aU." 

1  A  popular  name  for  the  Janiculum,  perhaps  a  corruption  from  Mons  Aurelius. 
The  name  is  perpetuated  by  the  church  of  San  Pietro  in  Montorio. 

2  A  very  ancient  tradition,  confirmed  by  an  inscription  of  Damasus,  ascribes  to  the 
bodies  of  the  two  apostles  a  temporary  sojourn  in  a  crypt  known  as  "ad  Catacumbas," 
beneath  the  present  church  of  San  Sebastiano  on  the  Via  Appia.  Duchesne  supposes 
that  this  sojourn  took  place  during  the  persecution  of  Diocletian,  that  the  sacred 
bodies  were  then  removed  from  their  tombs  in  the  Vatican  and  on  the  Via  Ostiense 
(C/.  supra,  p.  5,  infra,  p.  57)  and  laid  together  in  this  more  inconspicuous  spot  for  the 
sake  of  safety.  He  argues  that  the  author  here  is  confusing  the  date  when  they  were 
hidden  away  with  the  date  of  their  restoration,  that  the  persecution  under  Cornelius  was 
the  occasion  of  their  concealment  and  that  the  peace  under  Constantine  was  in  all  likeli- 
hood the  signal  for  their  return  to  their  venerated  sepulchres.  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
p.  civ,  and  p.  151,  n.  7.     Also  vifra  under  Damasus,  p.  81. 


CORNELIUS 


27 


At  that  time  Decius  heard  that  he  had  received  a  letter  from  the 
blessed  Cyprian,  bishop  of  Carthage/ 

He    sent    to    Centumcellae   and 


and  he  had  him  brought  from 
Centumcellae, 


brought  out  blessed  Cornelius, 


and  he  sum- 
moned him  be- 
fore his  pres- 
ence   at    night 


and     said     to 


nim : 


and  he  sum- 
moned him  be- 
fore his  pres- 
ence in  Ter- 
lude,^  in  front 
of  the  temple 
of   the  palace. 


and  came  near 
to  him  and 
said : 


and  he  sum- 
moned him  be- 
fore his  pres- 
ence with  the 
prefect  for  the 
city  in  an  in- 
terlude of  the 
night. 


and     said     to 
him : 


and  he  sum- 
moned him  be- 
fore his  pres- 
ence with  the 
prefect  of  the 
city  in  an  in- 
terlude of  the 
night,  in  front 
of  the  temple 
of  Pallas, 
and  said  to 
him : 


"Hast  thou  determined  to  regard  neither  the  gods  nor  the  ordi- 
nances 

of  our  ancestors  |  of  princes 

and  to  have  no  fear  of  our  threatenings,  that  thou  receivest  and 
sendest  letters  harmful  to  the  state?" 

Cornelius,  the  bishop,  answered  and  said:    "I  have  received  a 
letter  concerning  the  crown  of  the  Lord,  not  harmful  to  the  state 

but  rather  succor  to  the  soul."     I  but  counsel  to  the  spirit." 


Then  Decius  ordered 
that  he  be  beaten 
upon  the  mouth  with 


Then  Decius,  full  of 
wrath,  ordered  that 
the  blessed  Cornelius 


Then  he  ordered  that 
he  be  beaten  upon 
the    mouth    with    a 


1  The  following  account  of  the  trial  and  execution  of  Cornelius  by  Decius  is  entirely- 
apocryphal.  Decius  died  almost  two  years  before  Cornelius  and  the  latter  perished 
in  exile  at  Civitavecchia.  The  Libcriaii  Catalogue  preserves  the  earlier  and  authentic 
tradition  :  "being  banished  to  Centumcellae  he  there  fell  asleep  in  glory." 

2  A  corrupt  form.  Some  manuscripts  read,  "in  Tellude,"  i.e.  "in  Tellure,"  the 
temple  of  Tellus  where  the  Senate  sometimes  met.  It  stood  near  the  forum  of  Nerva 
and  the  temple  of  Pallas  (Minerva)  was  in  the  forum.  Cf.  Jordan,  Topographic  drr 
Stadl  Rom,  Vol.  II,  p.  381. 


28 


LIBER  PONTIFICALIS 


a  scourge  and  led  to 
the  temple  of  Mars  ^ 


be  beaten  upon  the 
mouth  with  a  scourge 
and  led  to  the  temple 
of  Mars 


scourge  and  led  be- 
fore the  temple  of 
Mars 


to  worship  and,  if  he  would  not  worship,  be  beheaded.     This  was 
done. 

And  he  was  beheaded 

by  the  temple  of  Mars  |  in  the  place  aforesaid 

and  became  a  martyr. 

And  his  body  was  taken  up  at  night  by  the  blessed  Lucina  and 
the  clergy  and  was  buried  in  a  crypt  in  her  own  garden,  near  the 
cemetery  of  Calistus  on  the  Via  Appia,^  September  14. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  66  days. 


XXIII.  Lucius  (253-254) 


a  Tuscan  from  the  city  of  Luca, 
son  of  Lucinus, 

3  months  and  3  days. 


Lucius,  by  nationality 
a  Roman,  son  of  Purphirius, 

occupied  the  see  3  years, 
8  months  and  10  days. 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time 
of  Gallus  and  Volusianus  (a.d.  252),  until  the  year  when  Valerian 
was  consul  for  the  third  time  and  Gallicanus  ^  was  his  colleague 
(a.d.  255).  He  was  in  exile.  Afterwards  by  the  will  of  God  he 
returned  in  safety  to  the  church. 

He  ordained  that  in  every  place  two  priests  and  three  deacons 
should  abide  with  the  bishop  to  be  witnesses  for  him  to  the  church.* 

^  There  was  a  famous  temple  to  Mars  just  outside  the  city  wall,  on  the  left  of  the 
Via  Appia.     From  there  it  was  a  plausibly  short  distance  to  the  cemetery  of  Callistus. 

'  The  body  of  Cornelius  was  translated  from  Civitavecchia  to  a  crypt  close  to  the 
cemetery  of  Callistus.  The  inscription  has  been  recovered.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont., 
vol.  I,  p.  152,  n.  14. 

'  The  name  should  be  Gallienus. 

*  The  system  of  private  attendance  upon  the  pope  by  members  of  the  clergy, 
regular  or  secular,  seems  to  have  been  first  instituted  by  the  council  of  595  under 
Gregory  I.    Until  that  time  the  pope  received  personal  service  from  laymen.     Duchesne 


LUCIUS,  STEPHEN   I  29 

He  was  also  beheaded  by  Valerian,  March  5. 


He,  while  on  his  way  to  his 
passion,  gave  authority  to  Ste- 
phen, archdeacon  of  his  church.^ 


He  gave  authority  over  the 
whole  church  to  Stephen,  his 
archdeacon,  while  he  was  on  his 
way  to  his  passion. 

He  held  2  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  4  priests,  4 
deacons,  7  bishops  in  divers  places. 
He  also  was  buried 


in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus 


near  the  cemetery  of    Calistus 
in  a  sandpit, 


on  the  Via  Appia,^  August  25. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  35  days. 

XXIV.   Stephen  I  (254-257) 

Stephen,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  lobius,  occupied  the  see 
4  years,  2  months  and  15  days.       |  6  years,  5  months  and  2  days. 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Valerian  and  Gallicanus  and  Maxi- 
mus  until  the  year  when  Valerian  was  consul  for  the  3rd  time  and 
Gallicanus  for  the  2nd  time  ^  (a.d.  255). 

In  *  his  time  he  was  carried  into  exile ;   and  afterwards  by  the 

suggests  that  in  ascribing  this  ordinance  to  Lucius  our  author  may  have  been  animated 
by  the  memory  of  the  charge  of  adultery  brought  against  Pope  Symmachus  later  and  the 
difficulty  which  that  pope  experienced  in  clearing  himself  for  lack  of  witnesses.  Cf. 
infra,  p.  117,  n.  2  ;  Duchesne,  Lib.Ponl.,  vol.  I,  p.  153,  n.  2.  There  is  no  other  record  of 
an  edict  of  the  sort  so  early. 

1  This  incident  is  probably  taken  from  an  apocrjqahal  martyrology,  or  Passion  of 
Lucius,  now  lost.  Lucius  is  not  usually  reckoned  among  the  martyrs,  for  although 
banished  for  a  while  he  was  permitted  to  return  and  died  at  Rome. 

2  A  piece  of  the  tablet  which  marked  the  tomb  of  Lucius  and  bears  his  name  has 
been  discovered  in  the  course  of  excavation  in  the  catacomb  of  CaUistus.  Duchesne, 
ibid.,  p.  153,  n.  5. 

^  Gallicanus  should  be  Gallienus.  The  Liberian  Catalogue  gives  the  synchronism 
more  exactly.  "He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Valerian  and  Gallienus,  from  the  2nd 
consulship  of  Volusianus  and  the  first  of  Maximus  (253)  until,  "  etc. 

*  The  following  paragraph  is  contained  in  only  one  manuscript  of  the  composite 
seventh  century  text  and  is  evidently  an  interpolation  of  that  period.  The  early  lists 
mention  Stephen  simply  as  bishop,  not  as  martyr.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  154, 
n.  I. 


30  LIBER  PONTIFICALIS 

will  of  God  he  returned  in  safety  to  the  church.  And  after  34  days 
he  was  tried  by  Maximian  ^  and  committed  to  prison  with  9  priests 
and  2  bishops,  Honorius  and  Castus,  and  3  deacons,  Xistus,  Dionis- 
ius  and  Gaius.  There  in  prison,  near  the  arch  of  Stella,^  he  held  a 
synod  and  all  the  vessels  of  the  church  he  entrusted  to  the  authority 
of  his  archdeacon,  Xystus,  and  the  money  coffer.  After  6  days  he 
himself  was  brought  forth  under  guard  and  beheaded. 

He  forbade  priests  and  deacons  to  use  their  consecrated  garments 
for  daily  wear  save  in  church. 

He  held  two  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  6  priests, 
5  deacons,  3  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus  on  the  Via  Appia, 
August  2? 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  22  days. 


XXV.   Xystus  H  (257-258) 

Xystus,  by  nationality 
a  Greek,  |  a  Roman, 

previously  a  philosopher,^  occupied  the  see 

2  years,  11  months  and  6  days.      |  i  year,  10  months  and  23  da3^s. 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Valerian  and  Decius,^  when  there 
was  the  great  persecution. 
At  that  time  he  was  seized 


by  Valerian 

and  taken  to  offer  sacrifice  to  demons.     But  he  despised  the  com- 

1  An  obvious  anachronism. 

2  I.e.  "  Arcus  Stillse,"  an  arch  of  the  aqueduct  (the  dripping  arch,  arcus  stillans) ; 
either  the  Porta  Capena  or  the  arch  of  Drusus.    Cf.  Jordan,  Topographic,  Vol.  II,  p.  380. 

^  The  place  of  Stephen's  burial  is  mentioned  in  all  the  liturgical  calendars  after  336 
but  his  epitaph  has  not  been  found.     Duchesne,  ibid.,  n.  4. 

*  There  seems  to  have  arisen  some  confusion  between  Pope  Xystus  and  a  Py- 
thagorean philosopher,  Sextius,  whose  Sententice  were  translated  from  Greek  into  Latin 
by  Rufinus  in  the  fifth  century. 

^  The  Liherian  Catalogue  omits  the  usual  imperial  synchronisms.  The  author  of 
the  Lib.  Pont,  supplies  them,  coupling  Valerian  and  Decius  as  if  they  were  contempo- 
raries. 


XYSTUS   II  ,  31 

mands  of  Valerian.  He  was  beheaded  and  with  him  six  others,  all 
deacons,  Felicissimus,  Agapitus,  Januarius,  Magnus,  Vincentius 
and  Stephen,  about  August  6} 

And  the  priests  kept  charge  ^  from  the  consulship  of  Maximus 
and  Gravio  (a.d.  255)  until  the  year  when  Tuscus  and  Bassus  were 
consuls  (a.d.  258),  from  the  consulship  of  Tuscus  and  Bassus  until 
July  20,  when 


there  was  the  great  persecution 
under  Decius.^ 


the  exceeding  cruel  persecution 
was  raging  under  Decius. 


And  after  the  passion  of  the  blessed  Xystus,  on  the  third  day, 
Lawrence,  his  archdeacon,  suffered  also,  August  10,  likewise  the 
subdeacon  Claudius  and  Severus,  the  priest,  and  Crescentius,  the 
reader,  and  Romanus,  the  doorkeeper.'* 

He  held  2  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  4  priests,  7 
deacons,  2  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  himself  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  CaHstus  on  the  Via 
Appia  and  the  aforesaid  6  deacons  were  buried  in  the  cemetery  of 
Praetextatus  on  the  Via  Appia,  August  6.^ 

1  A  letter  of  Cyprian,  written  from  Carthage  a  month  or  thereabout  after  these 
events,  speaks  of  the  news  of  the  persecution  at  Rome.  "But  know  that  Xistus  was 
martyred  in  the  cemetery  on  August  sixth  and  with  him  four  deacons."  The  church 
at  Carthage  was  expecting  persecution  also  and  C>T5rian  hopes  "that  every  one  of  us 
may  think  less  of  death  than  of  immortality."  Ep.  Ixxxi,  tr.  Ante  Nicene  Fathers, 
vol.  V,  p.  408.  According  to  tradition,  Xystus  was  seated  in  a  marble  chair  in  the 
midst  of  a  church  service,  when  he  was  seized  and  carried  away  to  the  scene  of  his 
martyrdom.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  156,  n.  8.  Felicissimus  and  Agapitus,  the 
first  two  of  the  six  deacons  mentioned  in  the  text,  were  interred,  not  with  Xystus,  but 
in  the  cemetery  of  Prstextatus,  where  their  tombs  may  now  be  seen.  Duchesne,  op. 
cit.,  p.  155,  n.  4. 

2  I.e.  during  the  vacancy  in  the  bishopric  following  the  execution  of  Xystus. 
Letters  of  Cyprian  written  at  this  juncture  are  addressed,  "To  the  priests  and  deacons 
who  are  at  Rome." 

3  The  foregoing  unintelligible  tangle  of  dates  is  a  garbled  version  of  the  passage 
in  the  Liberian  Catalogue.  Xystus  was  bishop  "  from  the  consulship  of  Maximus  and 
Glabrio  (a.d.  256)  until  the  year  when  Tuscus  and  Bassus  were  consuls  (a.d.  258),  and 
he  suffered  August  6.  And  the  priests  kept  charge  from  the  consulship  of  Tuscus  and 
Bassus  until  July  21  of  the  year  when  ^milianus  and  Bassus  were  consuls  (a.d.  259)." 

*  The  later  legends  of  St.  Lawrence  knew  nothing  of  Claudius  and  Severus,  though 
the  memor>'  of  Crescentius  and  Romanus  was  sometimes  recalled.  The  Lib.  Pont. 
may  preserx'e  an  earlier  and  more  accurate  tradition.     Cf.  Acta  Sanctorum,  August, 

vol.  11,  pp.  485-532- 

*  Duchesne  prints  the  verse  with  which  Pope  Damasus  later  commemorated  the 


32 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


The  aforesaid  blessed  Lawrence 


was  buried  on  the 
Via  Tiburtina  in  a 
crypt  in  the  Ager  Ve- 
ranus,  August  lo.^ 


was  buried  in  the 
cemetery  of  Cyriaco 
in  the  Ager  Veranus 
in  a  crypt  with  many 
other  martyrs. 


And  the  bishopric  was  empty  35  days. 


was  buried  on  the  Via 
Tiburtina  in  the  cem- 
etery of  Cyriaces  in 
the  Ager  Veranus  in 
a  crypt  with  many 
other  martyrs,  Au- 
gust 10. 


XXVI.   DiONYSius  (259-268) 

Dionysius,  previously  a  monk,  whose  family  we  have  not  been 
able  to  ascertain,  occupied  the  see 

8  years,  [  6  years, 

2  months  and  4  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Galienus,  from  July  22  of  the  year 
when  Emilianus  and  Bassus  were  consuls  (a.d.  259),  to  December 
26  in  the  consulship  of  Claudius  and  Paternus  (a.d.  269). 

He  assigned  churches  and  cemeteries  to  the  priests  and  appointed 
parishes  in  the  diocese.^ 

He  held  2  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  12  priests, 
6  deacons,  8  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus  on  the  Via  Appia, 
December  27. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  5  days. 

tomb  of  Xystus  in  the  papal  crypt.  Op.  cil.,  p.  156,  n.  8.  See  infra,  p.  82  and  n.  i. 
Four  out  of  the  six  deacons  were  buried  with  Xystus  in  the  cemetery  of  Callistus.  Supra, 
p.  31,  n.  I. 

1  The  site  of  the  present  famous  basihca  of  San  Lorenzo  in  Agro  Verano  or  fuori 
le  Mura.     For  the  building  of  the  basilica  see  infra,  p.  61. 

^  Duchesne  takes  this  sentence  to  mean  that  Dionysius  carried  out  the  parish 
organization  of  the  city,  assigning  certain  suburban  cemeteries  to  certain  urban 
churches,  so  that  each  church  should  have  its  special  cemetery.  He  also  assigned 
the  boundaries  of  the  episcopal  dioceses  within  the  metropolitan  diocese  of  the  pope. 
The  word  "parochia,"  parish,  was  employed  at  this  period  to  signify  either  a  rural 
parish  in  the  modern  sense  or  the  whole  territory  governed  by  a  bishop.  Lib.  PonL, 
vol.  I,  p.  157.  n.  3- 


DIONYSIUS,   FELIX   I,   EUTYCHIANUS  33 

XXVII.   Felix  I  (269-274) 

Felix,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Constantius,  occupied 
the  see 
2  years  and  10  months.  |  4  years,  3  months  and  25  days. 

He  was  crowned  with  martyrdom.^ 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Claudius  and  Aurelian,  from  the 
consulship  of  Claudius  and  Paternus  (a.d.  269),  to  the  year  when 
Aurelian  and  Capitulinus  were  consuls  (a.d.  274). 

He  instituted  the  celebration  of  masses 

over  the  sepulchres  |  over  the  memorials 

of  the  martyrs.^ 

He  held  2  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  9  priests, 
5  deacons,  5  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  built  a  basilica  on  the  Via 


He  also  was  buried  in  his  own 
cemetery  on  the  Via  AureHa  at 
the  2nd  milestone,  May  30. 


Aurelia,  where  also  he  was 
buried.  May  30,  2  miles  from 
the  city  of  Rome. 


And  the  bishopric  was  empty  5  days. 

XXVIII.     EUTYCHIANUS    (275-283) 

Eutycianus,  by  nationality  a  Tuscan,  son  of  Marinus,  from  the 
city  of  Luna,^  occupied  the  see 

8  years,  lo  months  and  4  days.    |  i  year,  i  month  and  i  day. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Aurelian,  from  the  3rd  consulship 

1  Pope  Felix  was  not  counted  a  martyr  in  the  early  lists  and  he  was  buried  with  his 
predecessors  in  the  cemetery  of  Callistus.  He  is  confounded  here  with  two  martyrs  of 
the  same  name  who  were  associated  with  a  basilica  on  the  Via  Aurelia.  Duchesne, 
Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  cxxv,  158,  n.  3. 

2  The  poet  Prudentius  is  witness  to  the  fact  that  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  century 
the  custom  existed  of  celebrating  masses  in  memory  of  the  martyrs  "ad  corpus,"  either 
in  the  cemeterial  basilicas  over  the  tombs  or  in  the  subterranean  vaults  themselves. 
Peristephanon,  lib.  xi,  v.  171,  etc.     Quoted  by  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  158,  n.  2. 

'  The  modern  Luni. 


34  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

of  Aurelian  when  Marcellinus  was  his  colleague  (a.d.  275),  until 
December  13  of  the  year  when  Carus  was  consul  for  the  2nd  time 
and  Carinus  was  consul  with  him  (a.d.  283). 

He  ordained  that  fruit  might  be  blessed  upon  the  altar,  but  only 
beans  and  grapes.^ 

He  in  his  time  buried  342  martyrs  in  divers  places  with  his 
own  hand.^  He  also  ordained  that  whenever  anyone  of  the  faith- 
ful buried  a  martyr,  he  should  bury  him  in  a  dalmatic  or  a  purple 
tunic  and  the  report  of  it  should  be  brought  to  himself  (Euty- 
chianus) . 

He  held  5  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  14  priests,  5 
deacons,  9  bishops  in  divers  places. 

And  he  was  crowned  with  martyrdom.^ 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus  on  the  Via  Appia, 
July  25.4 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  8  days. 


XXIX.    Gaius  (283-296) 

Gains,  by  nationality  a  Dalmatian,  of  the  family  of  Dioclitian, 
the  emperor,  son  of  Gaius,  occupied  the  see  11  years,  4  months 

and  9  days.  |  and  12  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Carus  and  Carinus,  from  Decem- 
ber 17  in  the  2nd  consulship  of  Carus  when  Carinus  was  his 
colleague  (a.d.  283),  until  April  22  of  the  year  when  Diocletian 
was  consul  for  the  4th  time  and  Constantius  for  the  2nd  time 
(a.d.  296). 

^  Prayers  for  the  blessing  of  the  first  fruits  are  found  in  various  early  Roman  litur- 
gies. They  had,  of  course,  both  Jewish  and  pagan  archetypes.  The  bean  and  grape 
have  been  from  ancient  times  the  chief  food  crops  of  the  Italian  people.  Duchesne, 
Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  150,  n.  i. 

2  No  persecution  of  importance  is  recorded  under  Eutychianus.  Whether  this 
sentence  and  the  following  refer  to  the  original  burying  of  martyrs  or  to  the  translation 
of  their  bodies  is  impossible  to  say.     They  may  both  be  entirely  apocryphal. 

'  There  is  no  other  record  of  Eutychianus'  martyrdom.  The  words  may  be  an 
interpolation. 

^  His  inscription  is  in  the  papal  crypt.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  160,  n.  6. 


GAIUS 


35 


He  decreed 

that  whoever  was  worthy  to  be 
bishop  must  rise  from  door- 
keeper through  each  rank,  step 
by  step,  to  the  higher  place. 


that  all  the  offices  in  the 
church  should  be  thus  held  in 
turn  :  whoever  was  worthy  to  be 
bishop  must  first  be  doorkeeper, 
reader,  exorcist,  acolyte,  sub- 
deacon,  deacon,  priest  and  then 
be  ordained  bishop.^ 


He  divided  the  districts  among  the  deacons. 

He  fled  from  the  persecution  of  Diocletian  into  the  crypts. 


and  while  dwelhng  there  died  a 
confessor. 


and  while  dwelling  there  was 
crowned  with  martyrdom  after 
8  years.^ 


He  held  4  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  25  priests, 
8  deacons,  5  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He,  after  11  years,  was  crowned  with  martyrdom  in  company 
with  Gavinius,  his  brother,  on  account  of  the  daughter  of  Gavinius, 
the  priest,  whose  name  was  Susanna. 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus  on  the  Via  Appia, 
April  22.^ 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  1 1  days. 


1  Pope  Cornelius,  writing  thirty  years  before  this  of  Novatian  and  the  schism  in  the 
Roman  church,  gives  the  earliest  known  enumeration  of  the  seven  ranks  in  the  hierarchy 
of  the  order.  "This  avenger  of  the  Gospel  then  did  not  know  that  there  should  be  one 
bishop  in  the  catholic  church ;  yet  he  was  not  ignorant  —  for  how  could  he  be  ?  —  that  in 
it  there  were  forty-six  priests,  seven  deacons,  seven  subdeacons,  forty-two  acolytes, 
fifty-two  exorcists,  readers  and  doorkeepers."  Eusebius,  Church  History,  \T,  c.  43,  tr. 
McGiffert,  p.  288.  See  under  Pope  Sylvester,  infra,  p.  46.  On  the  institution  of 
the  graded  hierarchy  see  Cambridge  Medieval  History,  vol.  I,  pp.  150-152. 

2  The  legend  of  Gaius'  martyrdom  is  not  authenticated.  His  name  is  not  in  the 
early  martyrologies  and  the  persecution  of  Diocletian  did  not  begin  until  seven  years 
after  his  death.  We  have  in  our  text,  however,  three  different  versions  of  the  legend, 
the  last  connecting  him  with  the  passion  of  St.  Susanna.  In  fact  she  is  sometimes 
said  to  have  been  a  niece  of  Gaius.  Acta  Sanctorum,  February,  vol.  Ill,  p.  62;  August, 
vol.  II,  p.  631 ;  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  xcviii. 

'  The  tablet  which  marked  his  tomb  was  discovered  in  fragments  and  put  together 
by  De  Rossi.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  161,  n.  7. 


36  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

XXX.   Marcellinus  (296-304) 

Marcellinus,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Projectus,  occu- 
pied the  see 
8  years,  2  months  and  25  days.  [  9  years,  4  months  and  16  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Diocletian  and  Maximian,  from 
July  I  in  the  6th  consulship  of  Diocletian  and  the  2nd  of  Constantius 
(a.d.  296)  until  the  year  when  Diocletian  was  consul  for  the  9th 
time  and  Maximian  for  the  8th  (a.d.  304).  At  that  time  was  a 
great  persecution,  so  that  within  30  days  17,000  Christians  of  both 
sexes  in  divers  provinces  were  crowned  with  martyrdom.^ 

For  this  reason  Marcellinus  himself  was  haled  to  sacrifice,  that 
he  might  offer  incense,  and  he  did  it. 

And  after  a  few  days,^  inspired  by  penitence,  he  was  beheaded 
by  the  same  Diocletian  and  crowned  with  martyrdom  for  the  faith 
of  Christ  in  company  with  Claudius  and  Cyrinus  and  Antoninus, 

and  the  blessed  Marcellinus  on 
his  way  to  his  passion  adjured 
Marcellus,  the  priest,  that  he 
should  not  fulfil  the  commands 
of  Diocletian. 

1  This  exaggerated  estimate  seems  to  be  founded  upon  a  misconception  of  a  state- 
ment  in   the   apocryphal   Preface  to  Jerome's  Martyrology.     Mommsen,  Lib.  Pont., 

p.  41,  note  on  1.  5. 

2  A  single  manuscript  contains  the  following  more  detailed  account.  "And  after  a 
few  days  a  synod  was  held  in  the  province  of  Campania  in  the  city  of  Sessana,  where 
with  his  own  lips  he  professed  his  penitence  in  the  presence  of  180  bishops.  He  wore 
a  garment  of  haircloth  and  ashes  upon  his  head  and  repented,  saying  that  he  had  sinned. 
Then  Diocletian  was  wroth  and  seized  him  and  bade  him  sacrifice  to  images.  But  he 
cried  out  with  tears,  saying,  'It  repenteth  me  sorely  for  my  former  ignorance,' 
and  he  began  to  utter  blasphemy  against  Diocletian  and  the  images  of  demons  made 
with  hands.  So,  inspired  by  penitence,  he  was  beheaded, "  etc.  Sessana  is  a  corrupt 
form  of  the  name  Sinuessa.  The  modern  town  is  called  Rocca  di  Mandragone.  See 
on  the  story  of  this  council  and  the  apostasy  of  MarceUinus,  Introduction,  p.  ix.  Petili- 
anus,  a  Donatist  bishop,  with  whom  Augustine  had  a  controversy,  is  the  earliest  au- 
thority for  Marcellinus'  defection.  Duchesne,  Lit.  Pont.,\o\.  I,  p.  bcxiv;  Momm- 
sen, Lib.  Pont.,  pp.  liv,  Iv.  Petilianus  says  that  Marcellinus  not  only  offered  incense 
but  also  surrendered  the  sacred  books  to  be  burned.  Augustine  in  reply  is  non-com- 
mittal. At  any  rate,  he  remarks,  "it  is  no  affair  of  ours.  For  they  have  borne  their 
own  burden,  whether  it  was  good  or  whether  it  was  evil.  We  ourselves  believe  it  was 
good ;  but  whatever  it  was  it  was  theirs."  Augustine,  Contra  Litteras  Petiliani;  Migne, 
Pat.  Lai.,  vol.  43,  cols.  323,  328. 


MARCELLINUS,   MARCELLUS  37 

And  afterwards  the  holy  bodies  lay  in  the  street  for  an  ex- 
ample to  the  Christians  26  days  by  order  of  Diocletian. 

Then  the  priest  Marcellus  and  the  other  priests  and  the  dea- 
cons took  up  the  bodies  by  night  with  hymns  and  buried  them  on 
the  Via  Salaria  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla  in  a  chamber  which  is 
well  known  unto  this  day,  as  Marcellinus  himself  had  commanded, 

when  in  penitence  he  was  being 
haled  to  execution,  in  the  crypt 
near  the  body  of  the  holy  Cris- 
centio, 

April  25.^ 

He  held  2  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  4  priests, 
2  deacons,  5  bishops  in  divers  places. 

From  that  day  the  bishopric  was  empty  7  years,  6  months  and 
25  days  while  Diocletian  was  persecuting  the  Christians. 


XXXI.   Marcellus  (308-309) 

Marcellus,^  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of 
Marcellus,  |  Benedictus, 

from  the  district  of  the  Via  Lata,  occupied  the  see 
4  years.  I  5  years,  7  m^onths  and  21  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Maxentius,  from  the  4th  consul- 

1  The  crypt  of  San  Crescenzio  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla  is  marked  on  seventh 
century  itineraries  of  the  holy  places  in  the  environs  of  Rome.  The  grave  of  Marcel- 
linus, however,  has  not  been  identified. 

2  Eusebius,  Jerome,  Augustine  and  the  authors  of  the  Roman  hidex  and  other  early 
lists  omit  either  Marcellus  or  Marcellinus  from  their  chronologies.  There  was  evidently 
some  tendency  to  confuse  the  similar  names.  The  Liberian  Catalogue,  however,  gives 
both  and  the  Lib.  Pont,  copies  it.  Duchesne  holds  that  Marcellinus  was  ignored 
by  the  compilers  because  of  the  disgrace  which  he  brought  upon  his  office.  Lib.  Pont., 
vol.  I,  pp.  Lxxiii,  Ixxiv.  Mommsen  argues  and  supports  his  contention  by  the 
chronology  of  the  Lib.  Pont,  itself,  that  Marcellus  was  not  included  in  the  episcopal 
lists  because  he  was  never  regularly  ordained  bishop  but  merely  performed  some  of 
the  duties  of  the  head  of  the  church  during  the  seven  years  of  interregnum  that  fol- 
lowed the  execution  of  Marcellinus.     Lib.  Pont.,  pp.  liii-lv. 


0 


8  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 


ship  of  Maxentius  when  Maximus  was  his  colleague,  until  after  the 
consulship.^ 
He 

made  request  of  a  certain  ma- 
tron, whose  name  was  Priscilla,- 
and 

established  a  cemetery  on  the  Via  Salaria,  and  he  appointed  25 
parish  churches^  as  dioceses^  in  the  city  of  Rome  to  provide 
baptism  and  penance  for  the  many  who  were  converted  among  the 
pagans  and  burial  for  the  martyrs.^ 

He  ordained  25  priests  in  the  city  of  Rome  and  2  deacons,  in 
the  month  of  December,  and  21  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  was  seized  by  Maxentius  and  held  in  confinement,  because 
he  set  the  church  in  order,  and  imprisoned  that  he  might  deny  his 
bishopric  and  degrade  himself  by  sacrifices  to  demons.  Then, 
forasmuch  as  he  continually  despised  and  scorned  the  words  and 
commands  of  Maxentius,  he  was  condemned  to  the  stable.^  But, 
although  he  served  many  days  in  the  stable,  he  did  not  cease  his 

1  The  years  308-309,  which  the  author  attempts  to  designate  here,  were  years  of 
some  confusion  in  the  consulate.  Maxentius  did  not  recognize  the  regular  officials 
and  the  usual  formulae  were  not  preserved. 

2  The  name  of  PrisciUa,  introduced  in  a  few  manuscripts,  is  an  anachronism,  sug- 
gested undoubtedly  by  the  well-known  cemetery  on  the  Via  Salaria.  That  cemetery 
is  much  older  than  MarceUus.  A  few  other  manuscripts  give  the  name  NoveUa  as 
that  of  Marcellus'  foundarion  and  De  Rossi  has  proved  the  existence  of  such  a  cemetery 
across  the  Via  Salaria  facing  the  cemetery  of  PrisciUa.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  165,  n.  4. 

3  MarceUus  may  have  found  it  necessary  to  reorganize  the  churches  after  the  per- 
secution and  the  vacancy  in  the  episcopate.  See  supra,  pp.  7,  n.  2  ;  21,  n.  3.  For  a 
brief  account  of  the  twenty-five  parish  churches  of  Rome  in  the  fifth  century  see 
Frothingham,  Monuments  of  Christian  Rome,  pp.  39-41  ■  Gregorovius,  History  of  Rome, 
tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  267-282. 

*  Tills  passage  maybe  compared  with  supra,  p.  32  and  n.  2,  to  show  how  variable 
was  stiU  the  meaning  of  terms  like  "parish"  and  "diocese,"  which  have  since  become 

so  exact. 

^  Each  parish  church  in  the  city  was  at  first  apparently  connected  with  a  suburban 
cemetery  or  catacomb,  where  its  dead,  whether  martyrs  or  not,  were  buried.  Later 
the  service  of  the  cemeteries  became  so  arduous  that  monasteries  were  estabUshed 
adjacent  to  take  charge  of  them.     Cf.  infra,  p.  163,  n.  i. 

8  The  reference  here  seems  to  be  to  the  pubUc  stables  maintained  as  part  of  the 
service  of  the  imperial  post.  The  story  of  the  sufferings  of  MarceUus  cannot  be  cor- 
roborated from  other  sources  but  is  not  in  itself  inconsistent  with  what  facts  we  know 
of  this  turbulent  period. 


MARCELLUS,    EUSEBIUS  39 

service  to  the  Lord  with  prayers  and  fastings.  Moreover  in  the 
ninth  month  all  his  clergy  came  by  night  and  removed  him  by 
night  from  the  stable.  A  certain  matron  and  widow,  whose  name 
was  Lucina,  who  had  lived  with  her  husband  Marcus  15  years 
and  had  been  19  years  a  widow,  received  the  blessed  man ;  and  she 
dedicated  her  house  as  a  church  in  the  name  of  the  blessed  Mar- 
cellus  ^  and  there  day  and  night  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  confessed 
with  hymns  and  prayers.  But  Maxentius  heard  of  it  and  sent  and 
seized  the  blessed  Marcellus  a  second  time  and  gave  orders  that  in 
that  very  church 

a  second  time  | 

boards  should  be  laid  down  and  the  animals  of  the  stable  should  be 
collected  and  kept  there  and  the  blessed  Marcellus  should  tend 
them.  And  he  died  in  the  service  of  the  animals,  clad  only  in  a 
hair  shirt. 

And  the  blessed  Lucina  took  his  body 

and  he  was  buried  |  and  buried  it 

in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla  on  the  Via  Salaria,  January  16.^ 
And  the  bishopric  was  empty  20  days. 
Lucina  herself  was  condemned  by  proscription. 

XXXII.   EusEBius  (309  or  310) 

Eusebius,  by  nationality  a  Greek,  previously  a  physician,  occu- 
pied the  see 

2  years,  i  month  and  25  days.       [  6  years,  i  month  and  3  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time 

of  Constantine.^  |  of  Constans. 

1  The  modem  church  of  San  Lorenzo  in  Lucina.  The  association  with  St.  Lawrence 
was  achieved  in  the  fifth  century. 

^  The  epitaph  erected  by  Pope  Damasus  (see  infra,  p.  82,  n.  1)  over  the  grave  of 
Marcellus  is  printed  by  Duchesne ;  op.cit.,p.  166,  n.  10.  It  alludes  to  a  rebellious 
faction  in  the  church  and  to  an  apostate  who  denounced  the  pope  to  the  tyrant 
INIaxentius  and  brought  about  his  banishment.  It  does  not  mention  the  manner  of  his 
death. 

^  The  author  of  the  Lib.  Pont,  has  inserted  th^  name  of  Constantine  and  the 
succeeding  sentence  into  the  text  as  allusions  to  the  legend  of  the  discovery  of  the  True 
Cross  by  the  Jew  Cyriacus.     The  Latin  version  of  the  legend  is  in  the  Acta  Sanctorum, 


40  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

While  he  was  bishop  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was 
found,  May  3,  and  Judas  was  baptised,  who  is  also  Quiriacus. 

He  discovered  heretics  in  the  city  of  Rome  and  reconciled  them 
by  the  laying  on  of  hands.^ 

He  held 
3  ordinations  |  i  ordination 

in  the  month  of  December,  13  priests,  3  deacons,  14  bishops  in 
divers  places." 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus 

in  a  crypt  j 

on  the  Via  Appia,  October  2. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  7  days. 

XXXni.   MiLTiADES  (31 1-3 14) 

Miltiades,  by  nationality  an  African,  occupied  the  see  4  years, 
7  months  and  8  days,  from  July  7  in  the 


9th  consulship  of  Maximin  un- 
til the  2nd  consulship  of  Maxen- 
tius, 


9th  consulship  of  Maxentius 
until  the  2nd  consulship  of  Maxi- 
mus, 


which  was  in  the  month  of  September,  when  Volusianus  and  Rufinus 
were  consuls  (a.d.  311).^ 

He  decreed  that  no  one  of  the  faithful  should  in  any  wise  keep 
fast  upon  the  Lord's  day  or  upon  the  fifth  day  of  the  week,  because 
the  pagans  celebrated  those  days  as  a  sacred  fast.^ 

May,  vol.  I,  p.  445.     The  other  legend,  which  attributed  the  discovery  of  the  Cross 
to  the  empress  Helena,  became  eventually  the  more  popular  in  the  West. 

^  The  rite  employed  by  the  early  Roman  church  in  the  reconciliation  of  heretics 
seems  to  have  been  very  similar  to  that  of  confirmation.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I, 
p.  167,  n.  3. 

2  Eusebius  was  pope  for  four  months  only,  from  April  to  August.  He,  therefore, 
could  have  held  no  ordinations  in  December. 

3  The  tomb  of  Eusebius  is  in  a  special  chamber  of  the  catacomb  of  Callistus,  at 
some  distance  from  the  large  chamber  where  the  third  century  popes  are  buried. 

''  The  consular  synchronisms  are  confused  here  and  in  the  Liberian  Catalogue,  partly 
because  Maxentius  recognized  a  different  set  of  consuls  from  the  regularly  elected  offi- 
cials and  both  the  Catalogue  and  our  author  attempt  to  name  them  all.  Our  author 
omits  the  latter  part  of  his  clause,  "until  January  11  in  the  year  when  Volusianus  and 
Annianus  were  consuls  (a.d.  314)." 

^  Sunday  fasting  has  been  forbidden  in  the  church  since  the  rise  of  the  dualist  sects 


MILTIADES,    SYLVESTER  41 

And  he  discovered  Manicheans  in  the  city.^ 

He  appointed  that  consecrated  offerings  should  be  sent  through- 
out the  churches  from  the  bishop's  consecration ;  these  are  called 
the  leaven.^ 

He  held  i  ordination  in  the  month  of  December,  7  priests,  5 
deacons,  1 1  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Calistus  on  the  Via  Appia 

in  a  crypt  I 

December  10. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  16  days. 


XXXIV.   Sylvester  (314-335) 

Sylvester,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Rufinus,  occupied 
the  see  23  years,  10  months  and  11  days. 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Constantine  and  Volusianus,  from 
February  i  until  January  i  in  the  consulship  of  Constantius  and 
Volusianus.^ 

He  was  an  exile  on  Mount  Syraptin,^ 

who  testified  by  that  observance  their  abhorrence  of  the  material  world.  Thursday 
also  is  rarely  a  fast  day,  although  the  reason  for  the  latter  rule  is  not  so  clear.  Duchesne, 
Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  i68,  n.  2. 

1  This  famous  dualist  sect  had  arisen  some  thirty  years  before  the  pontificate  of 
Miltiades.  For  a  convenient  account  of  its  history  and  doctrines  see  "  Manicheanism," 
Harnack  and  Conybeare,  Encyclopedia  BrUannica,  nth  edition. 

2  An  obscure  passage  which  has  given  rise  to  much  debate  over  the  possible  use  of 
leaven  in  the  Host.  See  "  Fermentum , "  Ducange,  Glossarimn  Med.  et  Inf.  Lat.  Duchesne 
quotes  a  letter  of  Pope  Innocent  I  to  Decentius,  which  evidently  refers  to  the  same 
custom.  "And  the  priests  of  these  (parish)  churches,  because  they  are  prevented  by 
their  charges  from  assembling  with  us  on  the  Lord's  day,  receive  through  acolytes  the 
leaven  prepared  by  us,  in  order  that  they  may  not  suppose  themselves  divided  from  our 
communion  on  that  great  day ;  but  I  do  not  think  it  right  to  do  this  for  the  parishes 
(rural),  because  the  sacred  elements  ought  not  to  be  carried  a  long  distance,  nor  do  we 
send  them  to  the  priests  situated  at  the  various  cemeteries,  for  those  priests  have  the 
right  and  privilege  of  preparing  them."  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  169,  n.  4.  Mansi, 
Amplissima  Colleciio,  vol.  Ill,  p.  1028.  As  late  as  the  eighth  century  the  Host  was 
sent  about  in  Rome  from  the  pope's  altar,  as  here  described,  on  Holy  Thursdays. 
Atchley,  Ordo  Romanus  Primus,  pp.  106-108. 

^  The  Liberian  Catalogue  says :  "He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Constantine,  from  the 
consulship  of  Volusianus  and  Annianus  (a.d.  314),  January  31,  to  December  31  in  the 
year  when  Constantius  and  Albinus  were  consuls  (a.d.  335)." 

*  This  form  of  the  name  is  found  in  the  fifth  century  Armenian  text  of  the  legend 


42  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

driven   by    the    persecution    of 
Constantine, 

and  afterward  he  returned  and  baptised  with  glory  Constantine 
Augustus,  whom  the  Lord  cured 

through  baptism  | 

of  leprosy,  from  whose  persecution  he  had  fled  when  he  was  in 
exile.  He  built  a  church  in  the  city  of  Rome,  in  the  garden  of  one 
of  his  priests  who  was  called  Equitius,  and  he  appointed  it  as  a 
parish  church  of  Rome,  near  the  baths  of  Domitian,  and  even  unto 
this  day  it  is  called  the  church  of  Equitius.^  There  also  he  offered 
the  following  gifts  :  ^ 

a  silver  paten,^  weighing  20  pounds,^  the  gift  of  Constantine 
Augustus. 
He  gave  likewise : 

of  the  miraculous  healing  of  Constantine.  In  the  two  epitomes  of  the  Lib.  Pont,  and 
in  the  second  recension  it  is  written  Seracten  or  Soracten,  with  the  evident  intention  of 
identifying  the  spot  with  the  well  iinown  mountain  near  Rome.  Duchesne  believes 
that  the  Constantinian  legend  originated  early  in  the  fifth  century  in  the  Syrian  or 
Armenian  communities  of  the  Eastern  church.  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  cix-cxx. 
The  most  trustworthy  account  of  the  actual  baptism  of  the  emperor  is  furnished  by 
Eusebius  in  his  Life  oj  Constantine,  tr.  Richardson,  Nicene  and  Post-Nicene  Fathers,  - 
ser.  2,  vol.  I,  pp.  555-556.  The  ceremony  took  place  shortly  before  the  illustrious 
convert's  death,  near  Nicomedia  in  Asia  Minor.  Cf.  Coleman,  Constantine  the  Great 
and  Christianity  for  literature  on  this  and  associated  topics. 

1  The  church  is  now  generally  known  as  San  Martino  ai  Monti.  Remains  of  Syl- 
vester's edifice  still  exist  below  the  present  structure.  The  baths  here  called  by  Domi- 
tian's  name  are  more  usually  styled  the  baths  of  Trajan  or  the  baths  of  Titus. 

■  On  the  value  of  this  and  subsequent  lists  of  real  and  movable  property  bestowed 
upon  the  churches  see  Introduction,  pp.  ix-x.  Duchesne  has  a  lengthy  discussion  of  the 
questions  involved.  In  the  course  of  it  he  prints  an  interesting  document  of  the  year 
471,  a  deed  of  gift  of  lands,  precious  vessels  and  other  articles  from  a  man  and  his 
wife  to  a  church  near  Tivoli.  The  deed  is  strikingly  similar  in  phraseology  and  arrange- 
ment to  the  lists  of  the  Lib.  Pont.;  op.  cit.,  pp.  cxl-cliv.  Of  course  the  churches 
were  plundered  many  times  over  in  the  centuries  that  followed. 

3  The  paten  of  this  early  period,  as  represented  in  the  mosaic  of  San  Vitale  in  Ra- 
venna, for  example,  was  a  large,  flat  bowl  and  was  used  to  hold  the  consecrated  Host 
for  the  bishop  and  his  assistants,  the  bread  for  the  laity  being  broken  and  distributed  in 
bags.  An  ordinary  church  or  an  altar  in  a  large  church  owned  but  one  paten,  though 
a  number  of  chahces.  The  paten,  however,  might  also  hold  the  consecrated  oil  or 
chrism,  as  below.      Duchesne,  o;>.  cU.,  p.   cxliv;    Lowrie,  Christian  Art   and  Archa- 

ology,  pp.  343-354- 

^  The  Roman  pound,  nearly  equal  to  twelve  oimces  avoirdupois. 


SYLVESTER  43 

2  silver  beakers,^  weighing  each  ten  pounds ; 
a  golden  chalice,  weighing  2  lbs. ; 
5  chaUces  for  service ,2  weighing  each  two  lbs. ; 
2  silver  pitchers,^  weighing  each  ten  lbs. ; 

1  silver  paten,  overlaid  with  gold,  for  the  chrism,    weighing 
5  lbs.  ; 

10  chandeliers,^  weighing  each  eight  lbs. ; 
20  bronze  lamps,  weighing  each  ten  lbs. ; 
12  bronze  candelabra,  weighing  each  three  hundred  lbs. ;  ^ 

2  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  ten  lbs. ; 

I   silver  paten  overlaid  with  gold,   for  the   chrism,  weighing 

5  lbs. ; 
10  chandeliers,  weighing  each  eight  lbs. ; 
20  bronze  lamps,  weighing  each  ten  lbs. ; 
12  bronze  candelabra,  weighing  each  three  hundred  lbs. ; 
the  Valerian  manor  in  the  Sabine  region,^  which  yields  80  solidi ;  ^ 
the  Statian  ^  manor  in  the  Sabine  region,  which  yields  55  sol. ; 


^The  "scyphus"  or  beaker  was  a  large  vessel,  shaped  like  a  goblet,  in  which  the 
wine  was  placed  for  consecration  on  the  altar  and  from  which  it  was  poured  into  the 
smaller  chalices  for  distribution  to  the  congregation.  At  least  this  is  Duchesne's  theory ; 
ibid.,  p.  cxliv.  Sometimes,  however,  the  term  "chalice"  is  used  to  denote  the  vessel 
of  honor  for  the  altar.     For  the  shape  see  the  illustrations  in  Lowrie,  op.  cit.,  passim. 

2  The  "chahces  for  service"  were  used  to  carry  the  wine  to  the  laity. 

3  The  "ama,"  pitcher  or  flagon,  was  a  large  receptacle  which,  in  Duchesne's  opinion, 
was  set  to  receive  the  offerings  of  wine  presented  by  the  faithful.  Lowrie  suggests 
that  it  contained  the  wine  and  water  which  were  mixed  for  the  Eucharist.     Op.  cit., 

P-  347- 

■*  The  churches  of  this  and  later  centuries  were  illuminated  by  a  wealth  of  lamps, 
chandeliers,  candlesticks  and  candelabra,  suspended  from  the  roof  or  standing  upon 
the  floor.  A  large  variety  of  terms  is  employed  to  enumerate  the  different  kinds  and 
shapes  of  lights,  an  exact  translation  of  which  is  now  impossible.  The  lamps  and 
chandeliers  found  at  Pompeii  are  smaller  and  far  less  sumptuous  than  these  products  of 
fourth  century  workmanship.  Lowrie,  op.  cit.,  pp.  349-352.  It  wiU  be  noticed  that 
no  Hghts  were  placed  upon  the  altar.  The  officiating  priest  still  stood  behind  it,  facing 
the  people,  and  illumination  came  from  overhead  or  from  the  sides. 

5  Or  thirty  pounds.  The  figures  throughout  these  lists  vary  in  different  manu- 
scripts. 

8  It  is  impossible  to  locate  most  of  the  lands  mentioned  in  the  fists.  The  word 
"fundus,"  here  translated  manor,  means  a  farm  or  piece  of  country  property. 

^  The  solidus  was  a  gold  coin  introduced  by  Constantine  and  worth  at  this  time 
about  $3.50  in  our  money. 

*  A  small  hamlet  caUed  Stazzano  perpetuates  the  name  to-day. 


44  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

the  manor  of  Duas  Casee  in  the  Sabine  region,  which  yields 

40  sol. ; 
the  Percihan  manor  in  the  Sabine  region,  which  yields  20  sol. ; 
the  Corbian  manor  in  the  region  of  Cora,^  which  yields  60  sol. ; 
a  house  in  the  city,  with  a  bath,  in  the  Sicinine  district,^  which 

yields  85  sol. ; 
a  garden  within  the  city  of  Rome  in  the  district  of  Ad  Duo 

Amantes,^  yielding  15  sol. ; 
a  house  in  the  district  of  Orfea  within  the  city,^  which  yields 

58  and  one  third  sol. 
He  made  a  regulation  for  the  whole  church.     Likewise  in  his 
time  was  held  a  council 

with  his  approval  1  at  his  bidding 

in  Nicea  in  Bithynia,  and  there  were  gathered  together  318  catholic 
bishops, 

and  208  others  unable  to  attend    | 

sent  their  signatures. 

And  they  set  forth  in  full  the 

holy,  I 

catholic  and  unspotted  faith  and  condemned  Arrius  and  Fotinus 
and  Sabellius  and  their  disciples.^ 

And  after  consultation  with  Augustus  he  assembled  277 

bishops  I 

'  The  modern  village  of  Cori  in  the  Campagna. 

2  It  is  impossible  to  identify  all  of  the  city  districts  enumerated  in  the  lists.  The 
Sicinine  district,  however,  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  church  of  Santa  Maria 
Maggiore,  which  was  known  in  the  fourth  century  as  the  "basilica  Sicinini."  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  188,  n.  II. 

'  Probably  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Esquiline  Hill,  not  far  from  the  church  of  San 
Martino,  like  the  houses  mentioned  before  and  after. 

*  A  "lake  of  Orfeus"  is  included  in  the  region  of  the  Esquiline  by  topographers  of 
the  fourth  century.  A  church  of  Santa  Lucia  in  Orphea  stood  later  near  the  church 
of  San  Martino. 

^  This  is,  of  course,  the  great  Council  of  Nicea.  The  idea  that  Photinus  and  Sabel- 
lius, as  well  as  Arius,  were  condemned  by  the  council  originated  with  the  authors  of 
the  popular,  unhistorical  lives  of  Sylvester,  who  were  concerned  to  make  their  hero 
crush  as  many  errors  as  possible. 


SYLVESTER  45 

in  the  city  of  Rome  ^  and  he  condemned  a  second  time  Calistus  and 
Arrius  and  Fotinus  and  Sabellius ;  and  he  decreed  that  an  Arian 
priest  who  became  convinced  of  his  error  should  not  be  received 
except  by  the  bishop  of  his  particular  locality ;  and  that  the  chrism 
should  be  consecrated  only  by  the  bishops ;  and  he  established  the 
privilege  of  the  bishops,  that  they  should  anoint  those  who  had 
been  baptised  ^  to  avert  the  propagation  of  heresy.^ 

He  furthermore  decreed  that  a  priest  might  anoint  with  the 
chrism  one  who  had  been  baptised  and  taken  from  the  water,  in 
case  of  the  approach  of  death. 

He  decreed  that  no  layman  should  presume  to  bring  a  charge 
against  one  of  the  clergy.^ 

He  decreed  that  deacons  should  wear  dalmatics  ^  in  church  and 
napkins  of  mixed  wool  and  linen  over  their  left  arms.® 

He  decreed  that  no  member  of  the  clergy  should  enter  a  court 
for  any  cause  whatever  or  plead  his  case  before  a  civil  judge,  unless 
it  were  in  a  church.^ 

He  decreed  that  the  sacrifice  of  the  altar  should  be  performed 
not  upon  a  cloth  of  hair  nor  one  that  was  colored,  but  only  upon 

*  On  this  Council  of  Rome  see  Introduction,  p.  ix.  The  records  of  the  council  and 
of  the  canons  promulgated  by  it  and  by  Sylvester  at  this  time  are  fabrications  of  the 
age  of  Symmachus,  intended  to  provide  sanction  for  episcopal  claims  and  to  exalt  the 
episcopal  office  in  general.  They  are  the  oldest  set  of  apocryphal  canons  in  existence 
dealing  with  matters  of  church  discipline.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  cxxxiv. 

2  I.e.  administer  the  sacrament  of  confirmation. 

'  A  free  translation  of  an  enigmatical  clause,  "propter  hereticam  suasionem." 

*  On  its  face  an  impossible  decree.  The  councils  of  this  and  later  periods  issued 
stipulations  as  to  the  methods  to  be  employed  in  bringing  suit  against  members  of  the 
higher  clergy. 

^  The  dalmatic  worn  by  a  Roman  deacon  as  well  as  by  a  bishop  at  this  time,  a  long, 
flowing  tunic  with  wide  sleeves,  is  pictured  in  many  church  frescoes  and  mosaics.  It 
was,  as  the  name  indicates,  originally  an  Oriental  garment,  introduced  into  Rome  during 
the  second  century  and  worn  in  pubHc  first  apparently  by  the  emperor  Commodus. 
It  was  distinguished  by  a  purple  stripe,  which  ran  over  each  shoulder  and  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  skirt  on  both  sides  and  sometimes  around  the  edge  of  the  sleeve.  Pope 
Symmachus  (498-519)  granted  to  St.  Caesarius  of  Aries  the  privilege  of  clothing  his 
deacons  in  dalmatics  like  those  worn  by  the  deacons  at  Rome.  Lowrie,  op.  cit.,  pp. 
394-396. 

^  The  towel  or  napkin  carried  by  the  deacon  for  use  in  his  part  of  the  service  be- 
came in  course  of  time  the  maniple.     Lowrie,  op.  cit.,  pp.  410-413. 

^  The  word  translated  civil  is  "cinctum,"  i.e.  clad  in  official  robes.  This  spurious 
decree  represents  an  effort  to  oblige  the  clergy  to  bring  their  suits  to  the  episcopal 
courts.     There  is  no  parallel  to  it  in  authentic  records.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  190,  n.  23. 


46  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

linen  sprung  from  the  earth,  even  as  the  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  was  buried  in  pure  linen  cloth ;  ^  , 

thus  mass  should  be  celebrated.     | 

He  decreed  that  anyone  who  wished  to  advance  or  make  prog- 
ress in  the  church  must  be  a  reader  30  years, ^  an  exorcist  30  days,^ 
an  acolyte  5  years,  a  subdeacon  5  years, 

a   custodian   of   the   martyrs   5 
years  ,^ 

a  deacon  7  years,  a  priest  3  years ;  that  he  must  be  approved  on 
every  hand,  even  by  them  who  are  without,  and  must  have  good 
witness  borne  to  him,  the  husband  of  one  wife,^  who  had  herself 
received  the  blessing  of  the  priest,  and  that  thus  he  might  attain 
to  the  rank  of  bishop ;  that  he  must  not  enter  upon  a  greater  or 
superior  office,  but  accept  modestly  the  order  of  rank  by  years, 
and  he  must  have  the  goodwill  and  favor  of  all  the  clergy  with  no 
one  anywhere  in  the  clergy 

or  among  the  faithful  | 

*  Mosaics  of- the  sixth  and  seventh  centuries  in  the  churches  of  San  Vitale  and  San 
ApoUinare  in  Classe  in  Ravenna  show  the  early  table  altar  set  with  chalice  and  bread 
and  covered  with  a  white  linen  cloth. 

2  Some  manuscripts  give,  "first  a  doorkeeper,  then  a  reader,"  etc.  There  is  much 
variation  in  the  figures  throughout  the  passage.  An  authentic  decree  of  Pope  Zosimus 
in  418  states  what  was  undoubtedly  the  accepted  system.  A  man  who  had  been 
dedicated  to  the  church  from  infancy  must  remain  a  reader  until  his  twentieth  year. 
If  an  adult  desired  to  enter  the  clergy,  he  must  serve  as  reader  and  exorcist  for  five 
years.  Thereafter  he  must  be  acolyte  and  subdeacon  four  years  and  deacon  five  years. 
From  the  priesthood  he  might  be  elevated  to  the  bishopric  if  his  life  were  holy  and  he 
had  been  married  but  once,  not  to  a  widow,  and  had  never  been  a  penitent.  Duchesne, 
op.  cil.,  p.  191,  n.  25  ;  Mansi,  Amplissima  Colledio,  vol.  IV,  p.  347  ;  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I, 
p.  50,  339.     C/.  supra,  p.  35  and  n.  i. 

3 Two  manuscripts  read,  "afterward  an  exorcist  for  the  time  required  by  the 
pontiff;"  two  others,  "afterward  an  exorcist  for  the  time  which  the  bishop  may 
appoint."     Mommsen,  Lib.  Pont.,  p.  51,  notes. 

*  It  seems  probable  that  the  care  of  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs  in  the  vicinity  of 
Rome  was  entrusted  to  subdeacons  at  the  opening  of  the  sixth  century.  Gregory 
of  Tours  often  speaks  of  the  "martyrarii  "  who  performed  a  similar  duty  in  the  church 
of  Gaul.     Duchesne,  ibid.,  n.  25. 

^  Early  in  the  fourth  century  both  popes  and  councils  took  the  position  that  no  man 
could  be  ordained  who  had  been  married  more  than  once  or  had  espoused  a  widow. 
Duchesne,  ibid.,  n.  26. 


SYLVESTER  47 

opposed  to  him.     He  held  6 
ordinations  |  orders 

of  priests  and  deacons  in  the  month  of  December,  42  priests,  27 

deacons  at  different  times  in  the  city  of  Rome,  65  bishops  in  divers 

places. 

In  his  time  Constantine  Augustus  built  the  following  basilicas 

and  adorned  them  : 

the  Constantinian  basilica,^  where  he  offered  the  following  gifts  : 
a  ciborium  of  hammered  silver,  which  has  upon  the  front 
the  Savior  seated  upon  a  chair,  in  height  5  feet,  weighing 
120  lbs.,  and  also  the  12  apostles,  who  weigh  each  ninety 
pounds  and  are  5  feet  in  height  and  wear  crowns  of  purest 
silver;  further,  on  the  back,  looking  toward  the  apse  are 
the  Savior  seated  upon  a  throne  in  height  5  feet,  of  purest 
silver,  weighing  140  lbs.,  and  4  angels  of  silver, ^ 


which  weigh  each  105 
lbs.  and  are  5  feet  in 
height  and  have  jewels 
from  Alabanda  ^  in  their 
eyes  and  carry  spears ; 


which  are  each  5  feet  in  height 
upon  the  sides  and  carry 
crosses  and  weigh  each  105 
lbs.  and  have  jewels  from 
Alavanda  in  their  eyes ; 


^  San  Giovanni  in  Laterano.  As  early  as  313  a  council  called  to  try  the  case  of 
the  Donatist  heretics  under  Pope  Miltiades  met  "  in  the  house  of  Fausta  in  the  Lat- 
eran."  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  28,  313.  Fausta  was  the  wife  of  Constantine.  The 
basilica  erected  on  the  site  was  first  called  Constantinian  in  the  record  of  the  Roman 
synod  of  487.  Mommsen,  op.  cit.,  p.  xxvii  and  n.  4.  Needless  to  say  no  vestiges 
of  this  first  basilica  are  visible  in  the  present  structure.  The  former  fell  to  the 
ground  in  877  and  was  rebuilt  once  in  the  tenth  century,  twice  in  the  fourteenth  and 
thoroughly  "restored"  in  the  seventeenth  and  nineteenth.  For  a  description  of  the 
several  basilicas  ascribed  in  our  text  to  Constantine  see  Gregorovius,  History  of 
Rome,  vol.  I,  pp.  88-112. 

2  The  figure  of  Christ  seated  in  the  midst  of  his  apostles  was  represented  often  in 
the  catacombs  and  on  the  sarcophagi  of  the  fourth  century.  The  mosaic  of  the  apse 
of  the  church  of  Santa  Pudenziana  dates  from  the  end  of  that  century.  Christ  en- 
throned between  angels  was,  for  some  reason,  a  subject  less  frequently  chosen.  A 
nave  mosaic  of  San  ApoUinare  Nuovo  at  Ravenna,  built  for  Theodoric  about  the  year 
500,  shows  the  latter  scene,  the  attendant  angels  carrying  spears,  as  here.  This 
ciborium  of  Constantine  was  destroyed  by  Alaric's  Gauls  and  replaced  by  one  given 
by  the  emperor  Valentinian  in  the  pontificate  of  Xystus  III.     See  infra,  p.  95,  n.  i. 

'  A  city  in  Caria,  now  .A.rab-Hissar. 


48 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


the  ciborium  itself 
weighs  2025  lbs.  of 
wrought  silver ;  a 
vaulted  ceiling  of 
purest  gold ;  ^ 

and  a  lamp  of  pur- 
est gold,  which  hangs 
beneath  the  ciborium, 
with  50  dolphins^  of 
purest  gold,  weighing 
each  50  lbs.,  and 
chains  which  weigh 
25  lbs. ; 


the    ciborium     itself 
weighs  2025  lbs. ; 


a  lamp  of  purest  gold 
beneath  the  ciborium 
with  50  dolphins  and 
a  chain  which  weighs 
25  lbs. ; 


the  ciborium  itself, 
where  stand  the  an- 
gels and  the  apostles, 
weighs  2025  lbs.  of 
wrought  silver ; 

a  lamp  of  purest  gold 
which  hangs  beneath 
the  ciborium,  with  50 
dolphins,  which 
weighs  with  its  chain 
25  lbs. ; 


4  crowns^  of  purest  gold  with  20  dolphins,  weighing  each 
fifteen  lbs. ; 

a  vaulting  for  the  basilica  of  polished  gold,  in  length  and  in 
breadth  500  lbs. ;  ^ 

7  altars  of  purest  silver,  weighing  each  200  lbs. ; 

7  golden  patens,  weighing  each  thirty  lbs. ; 

16  silver  patens,  weighing  each  thirty  lbs. ; 

7  goblets  of  purest  gold,  weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 

A  single  goblet  of  coral  set  all  about  with  prases  and  jacinths 
and  overlaid  with  gold,  which  weighs  in  all  20  lbs.  and 
3  ounces ; 

20  silver  goblets,  weighing  each  fifteen  lbs. ; 

2  pitchers  of  purest  gold,  weighing  each  fifty  lbs.  and  hold- 
ing each  3  medimni ;  ^ 

20  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  ten  lbs.  and  holding  each 
one  medimnus ; 

^  I.e.  the  vault  of  the  ciborium  from  which  depended  the  great  lamp  next  described. 

*  An  ornament  of  lamps  or  chandeliers,  shaped  like  a  dolphin ;  probably  each  dol- 
phin held  a  light. 

^  I.e.  circular  chandeliers  with  pendant  lights. 

*  The  readings  of  this  clause  vary  a  little  but  none  are  quite  intelligible.     The 
vaulting  is  that  of  the  half  dome  of  the  apse. 

^  The  medimnus    or  niSifivoi  was  the    Greek  bushel,  comprising   about  twelve 
gallons  or  one  and  one  half  English  bushels. 


SYLVESTER  49 

40  smaller  chalices  of  purest  gold,  weighing  each  one  lb. ; 
50  smaller  chalices  for  service,  weighing  each  2  lbs. ; 
For  ornament  in  the  basilica : 

a  chandelier  of  purest  gold  before  the  altar,  wherein  burns 

pure  oil  of  nard,  with  80  dolphins,  weighing  30  lbs. ; 
a  silver  chandelier  with  20  dolphins,  which  weighs  50  lbs., 

wherein  burns  pure  oil  of  nard ; 
45  silver  chandeHers  in  the  body  of  the  basilica,^  weighing 

each  30  lbs.,  wherein  burns  the  aforesaid  oil; 
on  the  right  side  of  the  basilica  40  silver  lamps,  weighing 

each  20  lbs. ; 
25  silver  chandeliers  on  the  left  side  of  the  basilica,  weigh- 
ing each  20  lbs. ; 
50  silver  candelabra  in  the  body  of  the  basiHca,  weighing 

each  20  lbs. ; 
3  jars  of  purest  silver,  weighing  each  300  lbs.,  holding  10 

medimni ; 
7  brass  candlesticks  before  the    altars,   10  feet  in  height, 
adorned  with  figures  of  the  prophets  overlaid  with  silver, 
weighing  each  300  lbs. ; 
and  for  maintenance  of  the  lights  there  he  granted : 
the  Gargilian  estate  in  the  region  of  Suessa,^  yielding 

every  year  | 

400  sol. ; 
the  Bauronican  estate  in  the  region  of  Suessa,  yielding 

360  sol. ; 
the  Aurian  estate  in  the  region  of  Laurentum,^  yielding  500 

sol. ; 
the  Urban  estate  in  the  region  of  Antium,"  yielding  240  sol. ; 

1  I.e.  the  central  nave.  The  right  side  mentioned  next  would  be  the  right  aisle, 
reserved  at  this  time  for  women  communicants,  the  left  side  the  left  aisle  reserved  for 

men. 

2  The  modern  Sessa  in  Latium.     There  is  a  village  of  Garigliano  in  that  region 

now. 

3  The  modern  Torre  Paterno  in  Latium.  From  the  opening  of  the  second  century 
to  the  close  of  the  fourth  the  ancient  villages  of  Laurentum  and  Lavinium  united  to 
form  one  municipality. 

*  The  modern  Porto  d'Anzio  in  Latium.     Antiimi  was  a  city  in  the  fifth  century 


50  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

the  Sentilian  estate  in 
the  region  of  Ardea/ 
yielding  240  sol. ; 

the  estate  of  Castis  in  the  region  of  Catina,^  yielding  1000  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Trapes  in  the  region  of  Catina,  yielding 

1650  sol. ; 
2  censers  of  purest  gold,  weighing  30  lbs. ; 
a  gift  of  spices  before  the  altar,  every  year  150  lbs. 
The  holy  font  where  Constantine  Augustus  was  baptised  ^ 

by  the  same  bishop  Silvester  | 

of  stone  of  porphyry,  overlaid  on  every  side  within  and  with- 
out and  above  and  as  far  as  the  water  with  purest  silver, 
3009  lbs. 
In  the  centre  of  the  font  is  a  porphyry  column,  which  bears  a 
golden  basin  of  purest  gold,  weighing  52  lbs.,  where  is  a 

flame  and  where  | 

in  the  Easter  season 

burns  balsam,  200  lbs.,  and  the  wick  is  of  asbestos. 
At  the  edge  of  the  font 

in  the  baptistery  | 

is  a  golden  lamb  pouring  water,  which  weighs  30  lbs. ; 
to  the  right  of  the  lamb  the  Savior  of  purest  silver,  5  feet  in 
height,  weighing  170  lbs.,  and  to  the  left  of  the  lamb 
John,  the  Baptist,  of  silver,  5  feet  in  height,  holding  an 
inscribed  scroll  which  bears  these  words:  "Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God,  Behold,  Who  Taketh  Away  the  Sins  of 
the  World,"  weighing 

125  lbs. ;  I       100  lbs. ; 


and  its  bishop  attended  the  synods  at  Rome.  It  suffered  severely  and  dwindled  in 
size  during  the  later  disorders. 

1  The  colony  of  Ardea  is  mentioned  as  late  as  223  a.d.,  but  it  sent  no  bishops  to 
the  Roman  councils  of  the  fifth  century.  It  was  evidently  dechning  in  population 
in  the  interval.   -  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  192,  n.  39. 

*The  modern  Poggio  Catino  southwest  of  Rieti. 

^  The  most  venerable  part  of  the  present  Lateran  baptistery  is  hardly  older  than 
the  end  of  the  fourth  century  and  most  of  it  dates  only  from  Xystus  III.  See  infra, 
p.  96.     The  stone  font,  however,  is  the  original  one  stripped  of  its  primitive  decorations. 


SYLVESTER  51 

7  silver  stags  pouring  water/  weighing  each  80  lbs. ; 
a  censer  of  purest  gold  set  with  49  prases,  weighing  15  lbs. 
He  bestowed  upon  the  holy  font : 
the  estate  of  Festus, 

the  keeper  of  the 
sacred  bed-cham- 
ber, which  Con- 
stantine  Augustus 
gave  him, 

in  the  region  of  Penestre,^  yielding  300  sol. ; 
the  estate  of   Gaba  in  the  region  of   Gabii,^  yielding 

202  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Pictae  in   the   aforesaid   region,   yielding 

205  sol. ; 
the  Statilian"  estate  in  the  region  of  Cora,  yielding  300 

sol. ; 
an  estate  in  Sicilia  Taurana,  in  the  region  Paramnense,^ 

yielding  500  sol. ; 
within  the  city  of  Rome  houses  and 


gardens,  |  granaries, 

yielding  2300  sol. ; 

the  estate  of  Bassus,  yielding  120  sol. ; 

the  estate  of  Laninae  in  the  region  of  Cartioli,^  yield- 
ing 200  sol. ; 

the  estate  of  Caculie  in  the  region  of  Momentum,^ 
yielding  50  sol. ; 

1  The  stags  may  have  been  set  around  the  font  with  the  water  running  into  it  from 
their  mouths.     In  the  Roman  baths  water  often  flowed  in  jets  from  animal  heads. 

2  Probably  a  corrupt  form  for  Prasneste,  the  modern  Palestrina.  A  second  century 
inscription  in  honor  of  one  Valerius  Priscus  Festus  has  been  found  in  the  neighborhood. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  192,  n.  47. 

3  The  modern  Castiglione,  twelve  miles  from  Rome. 

^  There  was  a  "gens  Statiha,"  to  which  belonged  Titus  Statilius  Taurus,  the  friend 
of  Augustus. 

5  Duchesne  thinks  this  may  be  Palermo.     Op.  cit.,  p.  193,  n.  51. 

6  Probably  Carsioli,  near  the  modern  village  Carsoli  in  Latium. 

">  This  perhaps  should  read  Nomentum,  the  modern  Mentana,  to  which  the  Via 
Nomentana  led. 


52  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

the  Statian  estate  in  the  Sabine  region,^  yielding  350  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Murinas  in  the  Appian  Alban  region,^  yield- 
ing 300  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Virgo  in  the  region  of  Cora,  yielding  200  sol. ; 

beyond  the  sea : 

in  the  provinces  of  Africa : 

the  estate  of  luncis  in  the  Mucarian  region,^  yielding 

800  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Capsis  in  the  region  of   Capsa,^  yielding 

600  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Varia  Sardana  in  the  Mimnian   region,^ 

yielding  500  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Camara?  in  the  region  of  Crypta  Lupi,^ 

yielding  405  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Numae  in  the  region  of  Numidia/  }  ielding 

650  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Sulphorata  in  the  region  of  Numidia,  yield- 
ing 720  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Walzari,  an  olive  plantation  in  the  region 

of  Numidia,  yielding  810  sol. ; 

also   in  Greece,   in    the   region 


of  Crete 


in  Greece : 

the  estate  of  Cefalina 
in  Crete,  1 

yielding  500  sol. ; 

1  Cf.  supra,  p.  43,  n.  8. 

2  I.e.,  in  the  Alban  Hills  near  the  Via  Appia.  A  district  still  called  Morena  lies 
between  the  Via  Appia  and  the  Via  Latina. 

3  Possibly  the  region  of  the  Macae,  a  people  living  near  the  North  coast.  There 
were  African  bishops  entitled  "luncensis,"  but  the  situation  of  their  diocese  is  not 
known.     Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  193,  n.  55. 

*  A  city  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  modern  country  of  Tunis.     The  place  is 

now  called  Gafsa. 

8  A  bishop  of  Mina,  in  the  province  of  Mauretania,  attended  the  council  of  Carthage 

in  525.     Duchesne,  ibid.,  n.  57. 

6  A  corruption,  perhaps,  of  Syrtica  Leptis,  i.e.  the  city  of  Leptis  in  the  Regio  Syrtica, 
the  modern  Tripoli. 

7  The  province  of  Numidia,  which  covered  much  the  same  territory  as  the  modem 

Algiers. 


SYLVESTER  S3 

in  Mengaulus :  ^ 

the  estate  of  Amazon,  yielding  222  sol. 
At  the  same  time  Constantine  Augustus  built 

by    request    of     Silvester,     the 
bishop, 

the  basihca  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  in  the  shrine  of  Apollo,^ 
and  laid  there  the  cofhn  with  the  body  of  the  holy  Peter ;  =^  the 
coffin  itself  he  enclosed  on  all  sides  with  bronze,  which  is  unchange- 
able :  at  the  head  5  feet,  at  the  feet  5  feet,  at  the  right  side  5  feet, 
at  the  left  side  5  feet,  underneath  5  feet  and  overhead  5  feet :  thus 
he  enclosed  the  body  of   blessed  Peter,  the   apostle,  and  laid  it 

away. 

And  above  he  set  porphyry  columns  for  adornment  ^  and  other 
spiral  columns  which  he  brought  from  Greece. 

1  A  corrupt  form.  Duchesne  accepts  the  suggestion  of  M.  Vignoli  that  the  island  of 
Gaulus  is  intended,  the  modern  Gozzo  near  Malta.     Op.  cit.,  p.  193,  n.  60. 

2  The  great  Constantinian  basilica  of  St.  Peter  stood  with  some  alterations  and 
many  additions  until  it  was  torn  down  by  the  popes  of  the  Renaissance  to  make  way 
for  the  present  edifice.  The  mosaic  of  the  triumphal  arch,  which  represented  Con- 
stantine offering  a  model  of  the  church  to  Christ,  seems  to  have  kept  its  place  to  the 
last  and  the  stamp  of  the  emperor  was  on  the  bricks  of  which  the  basilica  was  built. 
For  a  good  brief  description  of  old  St.  Peter's  see  Frothingham,  Momiments  of  Christian 
i?owz€,  pp.  25-29;  Landsim,  Destniction  of  Ancient  Rome,  pp.  s^S^;  Duchesne,  o/i.  cit., 
pp.  193-194,  n.  61.  The  last-named  quotes  from  some  of  the  surviving  contemporary 
descriptions  of  the  church  and  reproduces  a  groimd  plan  pubHshed  by  Alfarano  in  1590. 
There  is  a  mass  of  hterature  on  the  subject  to  which  it  is  impossible  to  refer  here. 
On  the  site  see  supra,  p.  5,  n.  5. 

3  The  following  rather  confused  description  of  the  tomb  of  St.  Peter  is  the  oldest 
and  also  the  fullest  in  existence.  The  sarcophagus  itself,  enclosed  stiU  to  all  probability 
in  Constantine's  bronze  casing,  lies  in  a  small  subterranean  chamber  connected  by  a 
deep  vertical  shaft  with  the  confession  beneath  the  present  high  altar.  In  1594,  when 
the  foundations  of  this  altar  were  being  laid,  Pope  Clement  VIII  and  three  cardinals 
saw  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  which  the  architect  had  laid  open,  a  cross  of  gold  lying 
upon  the  tomb,  but  the  pope  ordered  the  shaft  immediately  filled  up  and  it  has  never 
since  been  opened.  Whether  the  cross  was  the  one  placed  there  by  Constantine  is  not 
certain.  The  tomb  was  early  made  inaccessible,  undoubtedly  to  protect  it  from  in- 
vading marauders. 

*  The  porphyry  columns  apparently  supported  the  ciborium  above  the  altar,  the 
spiral  columns  next  mentioned  formed  a  line  or  colonnade  in  front  of  the  confession, 
separating  it  from  the  nave.  Several  of  the  latter  may  still  be  seen,  adorning  niches  in  the 
pillars  that  support  the  cupola  of  the  present  cathedral,  and  one  is  venerated  in  a  side 
chapel.     They  served  as  models  evidently  for  the  huge  bronze  spiral  columns  of  the 


54  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  made  also  a  vaulted  roof  ^  in  the  basilica,  gleaming  with 
polished  gold,  and  over  the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter,  above  the 
bronze  which  enclosed  it,  he  set  a  cross  of  purest  gold,  weighing 
150  lbs.,  in  place  of  a  measure,^  and  upon  it  were  inscribed  these 
words:  "Constantine  Augustus  and  Helena  Augusta  this 
House  Shining  with  like  Royal  Splendor  a  Court  Sur- 
rounds,"^ 
inscribed  in 

clear,  | 

enamelled  letters  upon  the  cross. 

He  gave  also  ^  4  brass  candlesticks,  10  feet  in  height,  overlaid 
with  silver,  with  figures  in  silver  of  the  acts  of  the  apostles, 
weighing  each  300  lbs. ; 
3  golden  chalices,  set  with  45  prases 

and  jacinths,  | 

weighing  each  12  lbs. ; 
2  silver  jars,  weighing  200  lbs. ; 
20  silver  chalices,  weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 


modem  baldachino.  They  were  preserved  with  particular  reverence  because  of  a 
tradition  that  arose  in  the  Middle  Ages  to  the  effect  that  they  had  originally  stood  in 
the  Temple  at  Jerusalem.  They  are  represented  in  Rafael's  cartoon  of  the  healing 
of  the  impotent  man  at  the  Gate  Beautiful. 

^  I.e.  the  vaulting  of  the  apse. 

2  "In  mensure  locus,"  an  unintelligible  expression.  Other  manuscripts  give 
"in  mensuram  loci,"  which  might  mean  that  the  cross  was  as  large  as  the  chamber 
allowed. 

^  The  inscription  is  recorded  nowhere  else  and,  as  it  stands  here,  is  obviously  incom- 
plete. De  Rossi  suggests  the  insertion  of  three  words  and  the  alteration  of  one  ending 
which  would  make  it  read,  "  Constantine  Augustus  and  Helena  Augusta  beautify  with 
gold  this  royal  house  which  a  court,  shining  with  like  splendor,  surrounds."  Mommsen, 
op.  cit.,  p.  57,  n.  on  line  13.  Duchesne  thinks  that  the  "royal  house"  is  the  subterran- 
ean tomb  chamber,  which  during  the  fourth  century  was  probably  accessible  to  the 
devout  and  not  impenetrably  sealed  until  the  invasions  of  the  fifth  century ;  in  that 
case  the  surrounding  court  would  be  the  basilica  itself.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  195, 
n.  67. 

•*  Orosius  relates  that  during  Alaric's  sack  of  Rome  in  410  the  precious  vessels  of 
St.  Peter's  were  deposited  for  safe  keeping  in  the  house  of  an  aged,  consecrated  virgin. 
They  were  discovered  by  the  barbarians  but  before  they  were  carried  off  Alaric  learned 
that  they  were  the  property  of  the  apostle  and  restored  them  all  in  state  to  the  basilica. 
Historia  adversiitn  Paganos,  lib.  VII,  c.  39,  ed.  Zangemeister,  Teubner,  pp.  292-293. 


SYLVESTER  55 

2  golden  pitchers,  weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 
5  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  20  lbs. ; 
a  golden  paten  with  a  turret  of  purest  gold  and  a  dove/ 
adorned  with  prases,  jacinths  and  pearls, 

I    white  stones, 

215  in  number,  weighing  30  lbs. ; 
5  silver  patens,  weighing  each  15  lbs. ; 
a  golden  crown  before  the  body,  that  is  a  chandeHer,  with 

50  dolphins,  which  weighs  35  lbs. ; 
32  silver  lamps  in  the  body  of  the  basihca,  with  dolphins, 

weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 
for  the  right  of  the  basihca  30  silver  lamps,  weighing  each 

8  lbs. ; 
the  altar  itself  of  silver  overlaid  with  gold, 


adorned  on 
every  side  with 
gems,  400  in 
number. 


with  210 


adorned     on 
every  side  with 
210 


prases,  jacinths  and  pearls,  weighing  350  lbs. ; 
a  censer  of  purest  gold  adorned  on  every  side  with  jewels, 
60  in  number,  | 

weighing  15  lbs. 
Likewise  for  revenue,   the  gift  which   Constantine  Augustus 
offered  to  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  in  the  diocese  of  the  East :   - 
in  the  city  of  Anthiocia  :  ^ 

the  house  of  Datianus,  yielding  240  sol. ; 

the  httle  house  in  Caene,^  yielding  20  and  one  third  sol. ; 

the  barns  in  Afrodisia,  yielding  20  sol. ; 

the  bath  in  Ceratheae,  yielding  42  sol. ; 

the  mill  in  the  same  place,  yielding  23  sol. ; 

the  cook  shop  in  the  same  place,  yielding  10  sol. ; 

1  Vessels  shaped  like  small  turrets  or  towers  and  like  doves  were  used  to  enshrine 
the  Host. 

2  Antioch,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  traditionally  the  seat  of  Peter's  first  bishopric. 
See  sjipra,  p.  4. 

'  Caene,  Afrodisia  and  Ceratheae  are  aU  quarters  of  the  city  of  Antioch. 


56  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

the  garden  of  Maro,  yielding  lo  sol. ; 
the  garden  in  the  same  place,  yielding  1 1  sol. ; 
near  the  city  of  Anthiocia  : 

the  property  Sybilles,  a  gift  to  Augustus,  yielding  322 

sol., 

1 50  decades  ^  of  papyrus, 

200  lbs.  of  spices, 

200  lbs.  of  oil  of  nard,  | 

35  lbs.  of  balsam  ; 
near  the  city  of  Alexandria : 

the  property  Timialica,  given  to  Constantine  Augustus  by 

Ambrosius,  |  Ambronius, 

yielding  620  sol., 

300  decades  of  papyrus, 

300  lbs.  of  oil  of  nard, 

60  lbs.  of  balsam, 

150  lbs.  of  spices, 

50  lbs.  of  Isaurian  storax ; 
the  property  of  Eutymus,  who  left  no  heir,  ^  yielding 

500  sol., 

70  decades  of  papyrus  ; 
in  Egypt :  ^ 

near  the  city  of  Armenia/  the  property  of  Agapus,  which 

he  gave  to  Constantine  Augustus  ; 
the  property  of  Passinopolis,  yielding  800  sol., 

400  decades  of  papyrus, 

50  medimni  of  pepper, 

100  lbs.  of  saffron, 

150  lbs.  of  storax, 

200  lbs.  of  spices  of  cinnamon. 

300  lbs.  of  oil  of  nard, 

100  lbs.  of  balsam, 

1  The  decade  was  apparently  a  package  containing  ten  sheets. 

2  The  property  had,  therefore,  reverted  to  the  imperial  exchequer. 

^  After  386  A.D.  Egypt  did  not  form  part  of  the  administrative  division  of  the  Orient, 
as  here,  but  constituted  a  separate  division  alone.     Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  cl. 
*  I  do  not  know  what  city  is  meant  here. 


SYLVESTER  57 

100  bags  of  flax, 
150  lbs.  of  cariophylum/ 
100  lbs.  of  Cyprian  oil, 
1000  fine  stalks  of  papyrus  ; 
the   property   which   Hybromius   gave    to    Constantine 
Augustus,  yielding  450  sol., 
200  decades  of  papyrus, 
50  lbs.  of  spices  of  cinnamon, 

200  lbs.  of  oil  of  nard,  | 

50  lbs.  of  balsam  ; 
in  the  province  of  the  Euphrates,  near  the  city  of  Cyrus :  ^ 
the  property  of  Armanazon,  yielding  380  sol. ; 

the  property  of  Obarias, 
yielding  260  sol. 

At  the  same  time  Constantine  Augustus  ^  built  the  basilica 
of  blessed  Paul,  the  apostle,  at  the  bidding  of  Silvester,  the  bishop, 
and  laid  his  body  away  there  in  bronze  and  enclosed  it,  as  he  did 
the  body  of  the  blessed  Peter.'*  And  to  this  basilica  he  offered  the 
following  gifts : 

near  Tarsus  ^  in  Cilicia  : 

the  island  of  Cordionon,  yielding  800  sol. 

All  the  consecrated  vessels  of  gold  and  silver  and  bronze  he  set 
there,  as  in  the  basihca  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  so  also  he 
ordained  them  for  the  basiUca  of  blessed  Paul,  the  apostle.     More- 

'  Perhaps  a  corruption  for  "  carpheotum,"  a  superior  kind  of  frankincense. 
2  Perhaps  Cyrrhus,  a  city  in  Syria. 

*  One  manuscript  reads,  "  Constantine  Augustus  and  Lord  Constantius  Augustus 
built"  etc.  If  Constantine  really  built  the  first  basilica  of  St.  Paul,  it  was  a  small  and 
unpretentious  edifice.  In  386  the  emperors  Valentinian  II,  Theodosius  and  Arcadius 
ordered  the  erection  of  a  great  church  on  the  site,  which  was  completed  early  in  the 
fifth  century.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1823  and  the  present  basilica  of  San  Paolo 
fuori  le  Mura  is  almost  entirely  a  latter-day  reconstruction. 

■*  The  empty  sarcophagus  of  St.  Paul  was  unearthed  during  the  work  of  rebuilding 
the  present  church.  It  is  of  marble  and  bears  an  inscription  in  fourth  century  letters, 
"PAULO  APOSTOLO  ET  MARTYRI."  The  tomb  lay  farther  outside  the  city 
walls  than  that  of  St.  Peter  and  was  rifled  probably  during  the  Saracen  invasion,  if 
not  before. 

*  It  was  evidently  thought  appropriate  to  endow  the  church  of  Paul  of  Tarsus 
with  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace. 


58  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

over  he  placed  a  golden  cross  over  the  tomb  of  blessed  Paul,  the 
apostle,  weighing  150  lbs. 

near  the  city  of  Tyre  : 

the  property  of  Comitum,  yielding  550  sol. ; 
the  property  of  Tymia,  yielding  250  sol. ; 
the  property  of  Fronimusa,  yielding  700  sol., 
70  lbs.  of  oil  of  nard, 
50  lbs.  of  spices, 
50  lbs.  of  cinnamon  ; 
near  the  city  of  Egypt : 

the  property  of  Cyrios,  yielding  710  sol., 
70  lbs.  of  oil  of  nard, 
30  lbs.  of  balsam, 
70  lbs.  of  spices, 
30  lbs.  of  storax, 
150  lbs.  of  oil  of  myrrh ; 
the  property  of  Basilea,  yielding  550  sol., 
50  lbs.  of  spices, 
60  lbs.  of  oil  of  nard, 
20  lbs.  of  balsam, 
60  lbs.  of  saffron  ; 
the   property   of    the   island    Maccabes,   yielding    510 
sol., 
510  stalks  of  fine  papyrus, 
300  bags  of  flax. 
At  the  same  time  Constantine  Augustus  constructed  a  basiHca 
in  the  Sessorian  palace,^  where  also  he 

placed  and  | 

enclosed  in  gold  and  jewels  some  of  the  wood  of  the  holy  cross  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  he  dedicated  the  church  under  the  name 
by  which  it  is  called  even  to  this  day,  Hierusalem.^  In  that 
church 

1  The  Sessorian  palace  is  known  to  have  been  a  residence  of  the  empress  Helena. 
Two  inscriptions  in  her  honor  have  been  discovered  there.  In  spite  of  alterations 
and  mutilations  the  present  basilica  still  shows  traces  of  its  origin  as  a  private  hall. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  196,  n.  75. 

2  The  title  is  now  Santa  Croce  in  Gerusalemme.  In  the  fifteenth  century  an  in- 
scription was  still  legible  beneath  the  apsidal  mosaic,  which  commemorated  the  pay- 


SYLVESTER  59 

he  offered  the  following  gifts  :       |  he  offered  these  gifts : 

4  candlesticks  of  silver  burning  before  the  holy   wood, 

like  to  the  number  of  the  4  gospels,  weighing  each 

80  lbs. ; 
50  silver  chandeliers,  weighing  each  15  lbs. ; 
a  goblet  of  gold,  weighing  10  lbs. ; 

5  golden  chahces  for  service,  weighing  each  one  lb. ; 
3  silver  goblets,  weighing  each  8  lbs. ; 

10  silver  chalices  for  service,  weighing  each  2  lbs. ; 

a  golden  paten,  weigh- 
ing 10  lbs. ; 

a  silver  paten  overlaid  with  gold  and  set  with  jewels, 

weighing  50  lbs. ; 
a  silver  altar,  weighing  250  lbs. ; 
3  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  20  lbs. ; 
and  all  the  land 


about  the  palace  he  gave 
as  an  offering  to  the 
church ; 


near  the  palace  itself, 


likewise  the  property  of  Sponsae  on  the  Via  Lavicana,'' 

yielding  263  sol. ; 
near  the  city  of  Lauren tum^  the  property  of  Patrae,  yielding 

120  sol. ; 
near  the  city  of  Nepeta^  the  property  of  Anglesis,  yielding 

150  sol. ; 
near  the  aforesaid  city  the  property  of  Terega,**  which 

yields  160  sol. ; 

ment  of  a  vow  by  Valentinian,  Placidia  and  Honoria  Augusti  to  the  "holy  church 
Hierusalem."  As  for  the  relic  of  the  cross,  St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  writing  about 
348,  says  that  fragments  of  the  sacred  wood  were  dispersed  through  all  the  world. 
Duchesne,  ibid. 

1  Or  Labicana.     One  of  the  main  roads  leading  over  the  Esquiline  Hill  to  the  Latin 
town  of  Labicum. 

2  Cf.  supra,  p.  50,  n.  i. 

3  The  modem  Nepi  in  the  upper  border  of  the  Roman  province. 

*  The  spot  may  have  taken  its  name  from  the  river  Treia,  which  flows  by  Nepi. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  196,  n.  79. 


6o  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

near  the  city  of  Falisca/  the  property  of  Herculus,  which 
he  gave  to  Augustus  and  Augustus  gave  to  the  church 
of  Hierusalem,  yieldmg  140  sol. ; 
near  the  city  of  Tuder  ^  the  property  of  Angul«,  yielding 
153  sol. 
At  the  same  time  he  built  the  basilica  of  the  holy  martyr  Agnes  ^ 
at  the  request  of 

Constantia,^  | 

his  daughter,  and  a  baptistery  in  the  same  place,^  where  both  his 
sister,  Constantia,  and  the  daughter  of  Augustus  were  baptised 

by  Silvester,  the  bishop, 


where  also  he  presented  the  following  gifts  : 

a  paten  of  purest  gold,  weighing  20  lbs. ; 

a  golden  chalice,  weighing  10  lbs. ; 

a  chandelier  of  purest  gold  with  30  dolphins,  weighing 

15  lbs.; 
2  silver  patens,  weighing  each  20  lbs. ; 
5  silver  chalices,  weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 
30  silver  chandeliers,  weighing  each  8  lbs. ; 

^  Now  Civita  Castellana. 

^  Now  Todi,  in  Umbria. 

3  The  church  of  Sant'  Agnese  on  the  Via  Nomentana,  erected  over  the  traditional 
tomb  of  the  virgin  martyr,  was  rebuilt  by  Honorius  I  in  the  seventh  century,  so  that  it  is 
now  uncertain  if  any  part  of  the  present  structure  belongs  to  the  age  of  Constantine. 

*  The  name  of  Constantine's  daughter  was  Constantina.  Originally  an  acrostic 
inscription  in  the  apse  of  the  basilica  commemorated  the  dedication  of  the  church  in 
her  name.     Constantine's  sister  was  Constantia.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  196,  n.  80. 

^  The  small,  circular  building,  now  known  as  the  church  of  Santa  Costanza,  was 
used  originally  as  a  mausoleum  but  may  have  been  intended  also  as  a  baptistery. 
The  huge  porphyry  sarcophagus,  at  present  in  the  Vatican  Museum,  stood  in  a  niche 
in  the  wall  facing  the  entrance  and  a  baptismal  font  may  have  occupied  the  central 
space  under  the  dome.  The  arrangement  would  then  have  been  similar  to  that  in  the 
Lateran  baptistery,  and  the  shape  of  the  two  buildings,  with  their  double  apsed  vestibules, 
is  not  unlike.  At  any  rate  there  is  no  vestige  of  another  baptistery  in  the  vicinity. 
There  is  no  unimpeachable  account  of  the  baptism  of  the  princesses  of  Constantine's 
house,  but  it  is  not,  of  course,  improbable  that  such  a  ceremony  took  place.  Am- 
mianus  Marcellinus  tells  us  that  in  the  year  360  the  body  of  Helena,  one  of  Constantine's 
daughters,  was  sent  to  Rome  to  be  buried  on  the  Via  Nomentana,  outside  the  city, 
where  her  sister  Constantina  already  lay.  Roman  History,  XXI,  i ;  tr.  Yonge,  Bohn's 
Library,  p.  244. 


SYLVESTER  6i 

40 


chandeliers  of 
brass ; 


chandeliers    of 
brass  metal ; 


lamps  of  brass 
metal ; 

40  candelabra  of  brass  overlaid  with  silver  and  adorned 

with  reliefs ; 
a  golden  lamp  with  1 2  wicks, 

which  weighs  20  lbs.,         | 

over  the  font,  weighing  15  lbs. ; 
likewise  a  gift 

for  revenue :  | 

all  the  land  about  the  city  of  Fidelinae,^  yielding  160  sol. ; 
on  the  Via  Salaria  as  far  as  the  ruins,  all  the  land 

of  the  holy  Agnes,       | 

yielding  105  sol. ; 
the  land  of  Mucus,  yielding  80  sol. ; 
the  property  of  Vicus  Pisonis,  yielding 

350  sol. ;  I  250  sol. ; 

the  land  of  Casulae,  yielding  100  sol. 
At  the  same  time 


Constantine  Augustus  |  he 

built  the  basilica  of  blessed  Lawrence,  the  martyr,^  on  the  Via 
Tiburtina  in  the  Ager  Veranus  over  the  burial  crypt,  and  he  made 
stairs  of  ascent  and  of  descent  to  the  body  of  the  holy  martyr 
Lawrence.     In  that  place  he  erected  an  apse  and  adorned  it  with 

^  Probably  FidencC,  the  modem  Castel  Giubileo,  five  miles  from  Rome,  near  the 
Via  Salaria. 

2  The  present  church  of  San  Lorenzo  in  Agro  Verano  is  formed  by  the  union  of  two 
ancient  basilicas,  which  were  thrown  into  one  by  Honorius  III  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
The  smaller  of  these  two,  which  contains  the  present  choir  and  covers  the  resting-place 
of  the  saint,  may  owe  its  foundation  to  Constantine.  Little  beside  the  columns  of  the 
lower  floor  can,  however,  with  safety  be  ascribed  to  him,  for  the  building  was  restored 
at  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century  and  again  rebuilt,  with  the  addition  of  the  gal- 
leries, at  the  close  of  the  sixth.  See  infra,  p.  89,  n.  3 ;  p.  168,  n.  2.  The  description 
given  here  is  interesting  as  one  of  the  earliest  of  a  confession  or  tomb  chamber  of  a 
martyr  in  a  basilica  erected  "ad  corpus."  The  basilica  was  placed  so  that  its  altar 
stood  directly  over  the  tomb,  which  was  reached  by  steps  leading  down  below  the  altar. 


62  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

porphyry  and  the  spot  over  the  tomb  he  enclosed  with  silver  and 
beautified  it  with  railings  of  purest  silver,  which  weighed  looo  lbs. ; 
and  before  the  tomb  itself  within  the  crypt  he  set : 

a  lamp  of  purest  gold  with  lo  wicks,  weighing  20  lbs. ; 
a  crown  of  purest  silver  with  50  dolphins,  weighing  30 

lbs.; 
2  bronze  candlesticks,  10  feet  in  height,  weighing  each  300 
lbs.; 
before  the  body  of  the  blessed  Lawrence,  the  martyr,  images 
overlaid  with  silver  to  show  his  passion  and  silver 
lamps  with  6  wicks,  weighing  each  15  lbs. 
In  the  same  locality  :  ^ 

the  property  of  one  Quiriaces,  a  religious  woman,  which 
the  fisc  had  seized  in  the  time  of  the  persecution,  the 
estate  of  Veranus,^  yielding  160  sol. ; 
the  property  of  Aqua  Tuscia  on  one  side,  yielding  153 

sol. ; 
the  property  of  Augustus  in  the  Sabine  region,  yielding 
to  the  name  of  the  Christians^  120  sol. ; 

the  property  of  Sul- 
furatcB  ■*  yielding  62 
sol. ; 

the  property  of  Micinae  belonging  to  Augustus,  yielding 
no  sol. ; 


1  Here,  as  in  the  case  of  the  lands  bestowed  on  Sant'  Agnese,  the  estates,  so  far  as 
their  situation  can  now  be  determined,  lay  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  basilica  upon 
which  they  were  conferred. 

*  This  is  the  land  upon  which  the  basilica  stood.  Duchesne  thinks  that  a  passage 
like  this,  alluding  to  a  well-known  persecution  with  no  mention  of  emperor  or  date,  is 
certainly  taken  from  a  source  at  least  as  old  as  the  first  half  of  the  fourth  century.  Op. 
cit.,  p.  cl. 

^  Duchesne  believes  that  this  passage  also  indicates  the  use  of  some  primitive  source, 
that  the  expression,  "name  of  the  Christians,"  to  signify  the  Christian  community 
antedates  the  persecution  of  Diocletian.  The  property  here  mentioned  was  perhaps 
a  part  of  the  possessions  of  the  church  restored  to  it  by  the  Edict  of  Milan.^  Duchesne, 
ibid.,  pp.  cl,  cli. 

^  The  name  may  be  derived  from  some  sulphurous  springs  on  the  Via  Tiburtina, 
sixteen  miles  from  Rome.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  198,  n.  89. 


SYLVESTER 


63 


the  property  of  Termulae,  yielding 

65  sol. ;  I  60  sol. ; 

the  property  of  Aranse,  yielding  70  sol. ; 

the  property  of  Septi- 
mitus,  yielding   130 
sol. 
The  gift  which  he  offered : 

a  golden  paten,  weigh- 
ing 20  lbs. ; 
2  silver  patens,  weigh- 
ing each  30  lbs. ; 
a  goblet  of  purest  gold, 

weighing  15  lbs. ; 
2  silver  goblets,  weigh- 
ing each  10  lbs. ; 
10  silver  chalices  for 
service,        weighing 
each  2  lbs. ; 
2  silver  pitchers,  weigh- 
ing each  10  lbs. ; 
30  silver  lamps,  weigh- 
ing each  20  lbs. ; 
a  jar  of  silver  weigh- 
ing 150  lbs.,  holding 
2  medimni. 
At  the  same  time   Constantine 
Augustus  built  a  basilica  to  the 
blessed  martyrs  Marcellinus,  the 
priest,  and  Peter,  the  exorcist, 
at    Inter   duas  Lauros ;    also   a 
mausoleum    where    his    mother, 
Helena  Augusta,  was  buried  on 
the  Via  Lavicana,   at   the    3rd 
milestone.^     And  in  this  place. 


At  the  same  time  Constantine 
Augustus  built  a  basilica  on  the 
Via  Lavicana  at  Inter  duas  Lau- 
ros to  blessed  Peter  and  Mar- 
cellinus, the  martyrs ;  also  a 
mausoleum  where  the  most 
blessed  Augusta,  his  mother, 
was  buried  in  a  sarcophagus  of 
porphyry,  and  he  offered  there : 


^  The  remains  of  the  mausoleum  of  the  empress  Helena  and  the  catacomb  of  Santi 
Pietro  e  Marcellino  may  be  seen  about  two  miles  from  the  Porta  Maggiore  at  a  place 


64  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

both  for  love  of  his  mother  and 
for  veneration  of  the  saints,  he 
offered  votive  gifts : 

a  paten  of  purest  gold,  weighing  35  lbs. ; 

4  silver  candlesticks  overlaid  with  gold,  12  feet  in  height, 

weighing  each  200  lbs. ; 
a  golden  crown,  that  is  a  chandeUer,  with  120  dolphins, 

weighing  30  lbs. ; 
3  golden  chalices,  weighing  each  10  lbs.,  set  with  prases  and 

jacinths ; 
2  golden  pitchers,  weighing  each  40  lbs. ; 
an  altar  of  purest  silver,  weighing  200  lbs. ; 

before  the  tomb  of  the  blessed 
Helena  Augusta,  which  is  of  por- 
phyry carved  with  images,^ 

20  silver  chandeliers,  weighing  each  20  lbs. 


Likewise  in  the  basilica  of  the 
saints  Peter  and  Marcellinus  he 
gave  as  a  gift : 


Likewise  for  the  aforesaid  holy 
martyrs  he  gave  to  the  basilica 
as  a  gift : 

an  altar  of  purest  silver,  weighing  200  lbs. ; 
2  patens  of  purest  gold,  weighing  each  15  lbs. ; 
2  silver  patens,  weighing  each  15  lbs. ; 
a  large  goblet  of 

the  purest  | 

gold, 

now  called  Tor  Pignaitara  on  the  Via  Casilina,  which  was  formerly  the  Via  Labicana. 
The  basilica  has  completely  disappeared.  An  imperial  palace  stood  near  by,  "ad 
Duas  Lauros,"  near  the  two  laurels,  in  the  time  of  Septimus  Severus  and  was  the  scene 
of  the  assassination  of  Valentinian  III  in  455.  The  mausoleum  is  octagonal  in  shape 
and  surmounted  with  a  dome.  In  the  sixteenth  century  Bosio  saw  the  ruins  of  a  great 
courtyard  and  portico  about  it,  all  of  which  have  now  vanished.  Eusebius  says  that 
the  body  of  the  empress  was  transported  in  state  to  Rome  for  burial.  Life  oj  Constatp- 
tine,  Richardson,  Nicene  and  Post-Nicene  Fathers,  Ser.  2,  vol.  I,  p.  532. 

1  The  huge  porphyry  sarcophagus  which  was  found  in  the  mausoleum  of  Helena 
was  removed  in  the  twelfth  century  to  the  Lateran  by  Pope  Anastasius  IV,  who  des- 
tined it  for  his  own  sepulchre.  Pius  VI  transferred  it  to  the  Vatican,  where  it  now 
stands  near  the  sarcophagus  from  the  mausoleum  of  Constantina.  It  is  adorned  with 
figures  in  relief,  chiefly  battle  scenes. 


SYLVESTER 


65 


whereon  the  name  of 
Augustus  was  engraved, 

weighing  20  lbs. ; 
a  smaller  goblet  of  gold,  weighing  10  lbs. ; 
5  silver  goblets,  weighing  each  12  lbs. ; 
20  silver  chalices  for  service,  weighing  each  3  lbs. ; 
4  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  15  lbs. ; 
every  year  900  lbs.  of  pure  oil  of  nard, 

100  lbs.  of  balsam, 

100  lbs.  of  spices  for  incense  for  the  aforesaid  holy  mar- 
tyrs, blessed  Marcellinus  and  Peter  ; 
the  estate  of  Laurentum  near  the  aqueduct,  with  a  bath,  and 

all  the  land  from  the  Porta  Sessoriana 


as  far  as  the  Via 
Penestrina,  and 
from  the  Via  Itine- 
ris  Latinee  as  far  as 
Mount  Gabus ;  ^ 


the  travellers'  road 
as  far  as  the  Via 
Latina  near  Mount 
Gabus,  Mount  Ga- 
bus itself ; 


and  the  travellers' 
road  as  far  as  the 
Via  Latina  near 
Mount  Albius, 
Mount  Albius  it- 
self ; 


the  property  of  Helena  Augusta,  yielding  1220  sol. ; 
the  island  of  Sardinia^  with  all  the  property 

belonging  to  that  island,  | 

yielding  1024  sol. ; 

the  island  of 


Mesenum '  with  the  property 
belonging  to  that  island,   |  belonging  to  it,  all  of  it. 
yielding  810  sol. ; 

1  It  is  impossible  to  form  an  exact  idea  of  the  area  meant  by  this  obscure  description, 
though  the  general  location  is  clear  enough.  The  "aqueduct"  may  be  either  the 
Alexandrine  or  the  Claudian,  both  of  which  pass  near  the  Via  Prasnestina  and  the  Via 
Latina.  Mount  Gabus  or  Monte  Cavo  may  be  any  one  of  the  hollow  hillocks  or 
craters  which  dot  the  Campagna.     Duchesne,  op.  cil.,  p.  199,  n.  91. 

2  The  whole  island  cannot  have  been  conveyed  to  the  basilica.  Our  author  has 
in  all  likelihood  omitted  a  list  of  the  particular  properties  on  the  island. 

5  Duchesne  suggests  that  the  peninsular  of  Misenum  is  intended.  That  is  so  nearly 
an  island  that  it  might  well  pass  for  one  in  common  speech.     Op.  ciL,  p.  199,  n.  93. 


66  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

the  island  of  Matidia,  which  is  Mount  Argentarius/  yielding 

600  sol. ; 
the  property  in  the  Sabine  region,  which  is  called  Duae  Casae, 
at  the  foot  of  Mount  Lucretius,^  yielding  200  sol. 
At  the  same  time  Constantine  Augustus 

by    request    of     Silvester,     the 
bishop, 

built  a  basilica  in  the  city  of  Hostia^  near  Portus,  the  harbor  city 
of  Rome,  to  the  blessed  apostles  Peter  and  Paul  and  to  John  the 
Baptist,  where  he  offered  the  following 

gifts :  I 

a  silver  paten,  weighing  30  lbs. ; 
10  silver  chalices,  weighing  each 

two  lbs. ;  I     5  lbs. ; 

2  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 
30  silver 

chandeliers,  |  lamps, 

weighing  each  5  lbs. ; 
2  silver  goblets,  weighing  each  8  lbs. ; 
a  single  silver  paten  for  the  chrism,  weighing  10  lbs. ; 
a  bowl  of  silver  for  baptism,  weighing  20  lbs. ; 
the  island  which  is  called  Assis,^  which  lies  between  Portus 

and  Hostia ; 
all  the  property  along  the  sea  as  far  as  Digitus  Solis,^  yielding 

655  sol. ;  I  300  sol. ; 

the  property  of  the  Greeks  in  the  region  of  Ardea,  yielding  80 
sol. ; 

^  Monte  Argentaro  on  the  coast  of  Tuscany,  also  a  peninsular  almost  cut  off  from 
the  mainland. 

2  Mount  Lucretilis,  now  known  as  Monte  Genaro,  made  famous  by  Horace. 

^  Ostia.  Modern  excavations  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  have  not  so  far  re- 
vealed any  Christian  church  or  monument.  Portus  is,  of  course,  the  modern  Porto 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Tiber. 

^  This  is  apparently  the  island  of  the  delta,  formed  by  the  two  branches  of  the  Tiber 
at  its  mouth,  but  the  name  occurs  nowhere  else. 

'  Unknown. 


SYLVESTER  67 

the  property  of  Quiritus  in  the  region  of  Hostia,  yielding  311 

sol. ; 
the  property  of  Balneolum  in  the  region  of  Ostia,  yielding  42 

sol. ; 
the  property  Nymfulee,  yielding  30  sol. 
Likewise  that  which  Gallicanus  ^  offered  to  the  aforesaid  basilica 
of  the  holy  apostles  Peter  and  Paul  and  of  John   the   Baptist; 
he  offered  the  following  : 

a  silver  crown  with  dolphins,  weighing  20  lbs. ; 
a  silver  chaHce  carved  in  rehef,  weighing  15  lbs. ; 
a  silver  pitcher,  weighing  18  lbs. ; 

the  estate  MalUanum^  in 
the  Sabine  region,  yield- 
ing 115  and  one  third 
sol. ; 

the  estate  Picturae 

in  the  region  of  Vellitrai,^  yielding  43  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  the  Suri  on  the  Via  Claudia  in  the  region  of 

Veii,^  yielding  56  sol. ; 
the  Gargihan  estate  in  the  region  of  Suessa,^  yielding  655 
sol. 
At  this  time  Constantine  Augustus  built  the  basiUca  of  holy 
John  the  Baptist  in  the  city  of  Alba^  and  offered  there  the  follow- 
ing: 

1  The  Acts  of  St.  Gallicanus,  composed  later  than  the  Lib.  Pont,  and  in  part 
based  upon  it,  ascribed  to  him  the  building  of  a  basilica  and  hospital  at  Ostia.  It 
seems  likely  that  the  legendary  saint  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  historical  character 
Pammachius,  the  proconsul  and  senator,  who  built  a  church  and  hospital  at  Porto 
toward  the  end  of  the  fourth  century  and  also  the  church  over  the  house  of  the  martyrs 
John  and  Paul  on  the  Coelian  Hill  at  Rome.  The  charitable  institution  at  Porto  is 
the  earliest  of  the  kind  known.  The  site  has  been  explored  sufficiently  to  show  the 
general  plan :  a  basilica  opening  off  a  square  court  with  rooms  and  halls  for  the  poor 
and  sick  arranged  about  it.  Duchesne,  op.  cil.,  p.  199,  n.  99.  Frothingham,  Monu- 
ments of  Christian  Rome,  pp.  48,  49. 

2  Magliano,  the  present  seat  of  the  bishopric  of  Sabinum. 

3  Velitrse,  now  Velletri  in  Latium. 

*  The  ancient  Etruscan  town  stood  near  the  site  of  the  modern  village  of  Isola. 
5  A  property  of  the  same  name  and  situation  is  included  among  the  lands  bestowed 
upon  the  Lateran  basilica.     Supra,  p.  49. 

«Albano  in  Latium.     Some  traces  of  Constantine's  basilica  are  said  to  be  still 


68  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

a  silver  paten,  weighing  30  lbs. ; 

a  goblet  of  silver  gilt,  weighing  12  lbs. ; 

10 

silver  | 

chalices  for  service,  weighing  each  3  lbs. ; 
2  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  20  lbs. ; 
the  property  of  the  Lake  of  Turnus^  with  the  adjacent  fields, 

yielding 

the     estate     of     Molae,^ 
yielding 
60  sol. ; 

50  sol. ; 
the  property 

at  Alba  with  the  [ 

Lake  of  Alba,^  yielding  250  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Mucus,  yielding 

160  sol. ;  I  170  sol.; 

all  the  empty  barracks  or  houses  belonging  to  the  munici- 
pality^ in  the  town  of  Alba, 

everything  in  the  neighborhood    were  offered  as  gifts  to  the  holy 
of    the   church   of   Constantine,    church  of  Constantine; 
was  offered  by  Augustus  ; 

the  property  of  Hortus,  yielding  20  sol. ; 

the  property  of  Tiberius  Caesar,  yielding  280  sol. ; 

visible.  De  Rossi  has  proved  that  the  Christian  church  of  Albano  originated  probably 
in  the  camp  of  the  Second  Parthian  Legion,  which  was  stationed  there  during  the  third 
century.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  199,  n.  103. 

1  The  Laghetto  di  Turno,  with  its  recollections  of  the  ^neid,  lies  about  two 
miles  from  Albano.  Funeral  inscriptions  have  been  found  there  testifying  to  the  exist- 
ence of  a  rural  Christian  community  in  the  sixth  century.  Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  200, 
n.  104. 

2  A  place  called  II  Molo  is  now  about  a  mile  from  Albano. 
'  The  famous  Lago  di  Albano. 

*  These  are  undoubtedly  the  buildings  left  empty  by  the  departure  of  the  Second 
Parthian  Legion  and  the  population  of  camp-followers  and  dependents.  See  supra, 
p.  67,  n.  6.  The  word  translated  barracks  is  "  schenica  "  or  "  scenica,"  which  here 
has  its  original  Greek  sense  of  tents  or  camps,  rather  than  its  ordinary  Latin  associa- 
tion with  theatres  and  actors. 


SYLVESTER  69 

the  property  of  Marinee/  yielding  50  sol. ; 

the    estate    of    Nemus,^ 
yielding  280  sol. ; 

the  property  of  Amartianae  in  the  region  of  Cora,  yielding  1 50 

sol. ; 
the  Statilian  property,  yielding  70  sol. ; 
the  Median  property,  yielding  30  sol. 
At  the  same  time  Constantine  Augustus  built  a  basilica  of  the 
apostles  within  the  city  of  Capua,^  which  he  called  the  Constantinian 
basilica,  and  there  also  he  offered  the  following  gifts : 

2  silver  patens,  weighing  each  20  lbs. ; 

3  silver  goblets,  weighing  each  9  lbs. ; 

15  chalices  for  service,  weighing  each  2  lbs. ; 
2  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 

4  bronze  candlesticks,  10  feet  in  height,  weighing  each  180 

lbs.; 
30  silver  chandeliers,  weighing  each  5  lbs. ; 
30  bronze  chandeliers ; 
And  he  offered  certain  property : 

the  Statilian  estate  in  the  region  of  Menturnae,*  yielding  315 

sol. ; 
a  property  in  the  region  of  Gaeta,^  yielding  85  sol. ; 
the  property  of  Paternum  in  the  region  of  Suessa,  yielding 

150  sol. ; 
the  property  of  Ad  Centum®  in  the  region  of  Capua,  yielding 

60  sol. ; 
a  property  in  the  region  of  Suessa  Gauronica,^  yielding  40  sol. ; 
the  property  of  Leo,  yielding  60  sol. 

*  At  Marino,  near  Albano. 

2  The  place  may  have  some  connection  with  the  Lake  of  Nemi. 
'  There  are  no  visible  remains  of  Constantine's  church  in  the  modem  Santa  Maria 
di  Capua. 

*  Minturnae,  a  town  in  Latium,  the  ruins  of  which  are  to  be  seen  near  the  modern 
Trajetta. 

^  The  ancient  Caieta,  now  Gaeta  in  Latium. 

'  This  name  does  not  signify,  as  might  be  supposed,  "At  the  hundredth  milestone," 
for  Capua  is  132  miles  from  Rome  by  way  of  the  Via  Appia,  138  by  the  Via  Latina. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit..  p.  200,  n.  114. 

^  Unquestionably  a  corruption  for  Suessa  Aurunca,  the  full  title  in  ancient  times  of 
the  modem  Sessa. 


70  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

At  the  same  time  Constantine  Augustus  built  a  basilica  in  the 
city  of  Naples,^  to  which  he  offered  the  following  : 
2  silver  patens,  weighing  each 

15  lbs.;  I  25  lbs.; 

2  silver  goblets,  weighing  each  ten  lbs. ; 
15  chalices  for  service,  weighing  each  2  lbs. ; 
2  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  fifteen  lbs. ; 
20  silver  lamps,  weighing  each  8  lbs. ; 
20  bronze  lamps, 

weighing  each  10  lbs. 


He  built  likewise  an  aqueduct,  8  miles  in  length ;  he  built  also  a 
forum 

in  the  same  city  ^  | 

and  he  offered  the  following  gift : 

the  property  of  Macarus,  yielding  150  sol. ; 

the  Cimbrian  property,  yielding  105  sol. ; 

the  property  of  Sclina,  yielding  108  sol. ; 

the  property  of  Afila;,  yielding  140  sol. ; 

the  property  of.Nymfulae,  yielding  90  sol. ; 

the  property  of  the  island^  with  the  fortress,  yielding  80  sol. 

At  the  same  time  the  blessed  Silvester  established  his  parish 

church^  in  the  city  of  Rome  in  the  Third  District,  near  the  baths  of 

Domitian,  which  are  called  aiso  the  baths  of  Trajan ;    the  parish 

church  of  Silvester,  to  which  Constantine  Augustus  gave : 

1  The  basilica  may  have  stood  on  the  site  of  the  church  of  Santa  Restituta,  the 
medieval  cathedral  of  Naples. 

*  A  Neapolitan  inscription  in  honor  of  Constantine  has  been  discovered  and  two  in 
honor  of  Helena,  but  they  contain  no  allusion  to  public  works  of  this  sort.  Duchesne, 
op.  cil.,  p.  200,  n.  116. 

'  Possibly  the  island  of  Nisida  between  Naples  and  Pozzuoli,  called  in  classic 
times  "Nesis"  or  N^o-os,  i.e.,  "the  island,"  without  other  name. 

^  The  church  already  described  on  p.  42.  The  Third  District  may  be  either  the 
civil  or  ecclesiastical  division,  for  the  Third  Region  of  Augustus  comprehended  this 
neighborhood.  The  list  of  precious  vessels  and  lamps  is  not  dissimilar  to  the  inventory 
already  given  for  this  church,  although  the  latter  is  longer.  The  two  lists  of  lands  of 
the  church  are,  however,  quite  different,  as  may  be  seen  by  comparison.  The  author 
may  have  made  two  sets  of  extracts  from  the  same  document  or  may  have  drawn  from 
two  different  documents  of  different  dates.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  200,  n.  119. 


SYLVESTER  71 

a  silver  paten,  weighing  20  lbs. ; 

a  silver  pitcher,  weighing  10  lbs. ; 

2  silver  goblets,  weighing  each  8  lbs. ; 

10  silver  chandeHer^  weighing  each  5  lbs. ; 

16  bronze  candelabra,  weighing  each  40  lbs. ; 

5  silver  chaHces  for  service,  weighing  each  2  lbs. ; 

the  Percilian  estate  in  the  Sabine  reg'on,  yielding  50  sol. ; 

the  Barbatian  estate  in  the  region  of  Ferens,^  yielding  35  and 

one  third  sol. ; 
the  Statian  estate  in  the  region  of  Tribula,^  yielding  66  and 

one  third  sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Beruclae  in  the  region  of  Cora,  yielding  40  sol. ; 
the  Sulpician  estate  in   the   region  of    Cora,  yielding  70 

sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Taurus  in  the  region  of  Beii,^  yielding  42  sol. ; 
the  Sentian  estate  in  the  region  of  Tibur,^  yielding  30  sol. ; 
the  Ceian  estate   in  the  region  of    Penestre,^  yielding  50 

sol. ; 
the  estate  of  Termulae  in  the  region  of  Penestre,  yielding  35 

sol. ; 
the  property  of  Cylon  in  the  region  of  Penestre,  yielding  59 
sol. 
He  offered  also  all  that  was  requisite  to  the  parish  church  of 
Equitius. 

This  Silvester  held  6  ordinations  in  the  month  of  December,  42 
priests,  26  deacons,  65  bishops  in  divers  places. 

He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla^  on  the  Via  Salaria, 

1  Ferentinum,  now  Ferentino,  a  small  town  on  the  Via  Latina. 

2  Trebula  was  the  name  of  three  ItaHan  towns,  one  in  Campania,  now  Maddaloni, 
the  others  in  Sabinum,  one  of  which  is  now  Monte  Leone,  the  last  has  disappeared. 
Duchesne  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  second  of  the  three  is  meant  here.  Op.  ciL,  p.  200, 
n.  122. 

3  Veii. 

■*  The  modern  Tivoli. 

*  Praeneste,  now  Palestrina. 

^  The  little  church  which  stood  over  the  catacomb  of  Priscilla  was  known  as  the 
church  of  St.  Sylvester  in  the  early  Roman  topographies  drawn  up  for  the  guidance  of 
pilgrims.  The  Itinerary  ascribed  to  William  of  Malmesbury  mentions  Sylvester's 
marble  tomb.  The  site  is  vacant  and  grassgrown  to-day.  Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  200, 
n.  123. 


72  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

three  miles  from  the  city  of  Rome,  December  31,     He  verily  died 
cathohc  and  a  confessor.^ 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  15  days, 

XXXV.   Marcus  (336) 

Marcus,  by  nationaHty  a  Roman,  son  of  Priscus,  occupied  the 
see  2  years,  8  months  and  20  days.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of 
Constantine,  during  the  consulship  of  Nepotianus  and  Facundus 
(a.d.  336),  from  February  i  until  October  i. 

He  ordained  that  the  bishop  of  Hostia,  who  consecrates  the 
bishop,  should  wear  the  pallium  and  that  by  him  the  bishop  of  the 
city  of  Rome  should  be  consecrated.^  And  he  made  regulations 
for  the  whole  church. 

He  built  two  basilicas,  one  on  the  Via  Ardeatina,  where  he  is 
buried,^  and  one  in  the  city  of  Rome,  in  Pallacinis.'* 

1  These  words  testify  to  the  unusual  veneration  for  the  memory  of  Pope  Sylvester. 
In  1632  a  silver  "corona"  of  ancient  workmanship,  bearing  a  votive  inscription  to  "the 
holy  Silvester,"  was  found  in  a  garden  adjacent  to  Sylvester's  parish  church,  San 
Martino  ai  Monti.  Duchesne  thinks  that  the  offering  may  have  dated  from  the  latter 
half  of  the  fifth  century.  The  spurious  lives  of  the  pope,  with  their  miracles  and  mar- 
vels, may  have  increased  popular  reverence  but  the  feeling  seems  to  have  existed  before 
the  legends.  Unfortunately,  in  spite  of  the  length  and  importance  of  Sylvester's 
pontificate,  there  are  no  authentic  documents  left  to  furnish  us  with  an  idea  of  the  part 
he  actually  played  in  the  stirring  events  of  his  day  or  with  more  than  the  vaguest  no- 
tion of  the  situation  at  Rome  under  Constantine.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  201,  n.  125. 

2  In  the  time  of  Augustine  the  bishop  of  Ostia  regularly  performed  the  ceremony 
of  consecrating  the  pope  and  he  retains  that  right  to  this  day.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont., 
vol.  I,  p.  203,  n.  2.  The  use  of  the  pallium  or  scarf  by  the  bishop  seems  to  have  been 
derived  from  the  use  of  the  pallium  as  badge  of  office  by  the  civil  magistrates  of  the 
fourth  and  fifth  centuries,  as  depicted  on  consular  diptychs  of  the  period.  The  earUest 
writer  to  refer  to  the  ecclesiastical  pallium  is  St.  Isidore  of  Pelusium  about  440.  He 
speaks  of  the  symbolical  significance  of  the  garment  as  of  something  well  known.  In 
the  sixth  century  Symmachus  and  succeeding  popes  sent  pallia  to  other  bishops. 
Frescoes  and  mosaics  of  that  century  at  Rome  and  Ravenna  uniformly  portray  these 
scarves  on  the  shoulders  of  bishops.  Their  use  was  not  confined  to  archbishops  until 
the  ninth  century.     Lowrie,  Christian  Art  and  Archeology,  pp.  407-410. 

3  The  small  cemeterial  church  of  Santa  Balbina  near  the  catacomb  of  Callistus.  It 
has  now  disappeared. 

*  The  modern  church  of  San  Marco.  It  is  impossible  to  attribute  anything  in 
the  present  edifice  to  the  fourth  century.  The  mosaic  in  the  apse  dates  only  from  the 
reconstruction  of  the  church  in  the  ninth  century.  However,  Pope  Hadrian  IV  in 
794  cited  the  mosaics  and  paintings  in  the  basilica  of  his  day  as  proofs  of  the  use  of 
images  at  Rome  in  the  time  of  the  Council  of  Nicea.     Mansi,  Amplissima  Collectio, 


MARCUS,   JULIUS   I  73 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *i 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Balbina  on  the  Via 
Ardeatina,  which  he  himself  had  supervised  and  built,  October  6. 
And  the  bishopric  was  empty  20  days. 


XXXVI.   Julius  I  (337-352) 

Julius,  by  nationahty  a  Roman,  son  of  Rusticus,  occupied  the 
see  15  years,  2  months  and  6  days.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of 
Constantinus,  son  of  Constantine,  the  heretic,  from  the  consulship 
of  Felicianus  (a.d.  337)  and  of  Maximin.^  He  endured  many  tribu- 
lations and  was  in  exile  10  months  and  after  the  death  of  this  Constan- 
tinus he  returned  in  glory  to  the  seat  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle.^ 

He  built  2  basilicas,  one 

in  the  city  of  Rome, 
near  the  forum ,^ 


and  another  across  the  Tiber  ^ 


and   another    on   the  Via  Fla- 
minia, 


vol.  XIII,  p.  801.  The  name  of  the  region  where  the  church  was  built  is  as  old  as 
Cicero,  who  says  that  Sextus  Roscius  was  killed  on  his  way  from  dinner  "ad  balneas  Pal- 
lacinas,"  near  the  Pallacine  baths.  Pro  Roscio,  VII,  i8.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  203, 
nn.  5  and  6. 

1  A  catalogue  of  gifts  bestowed  by  the  emperor  Constantine  upon  the  church  of 
Santa  Balbina  and  the  list  of  the  clergy  ordained  by  Marcus  have  been  omitted.  Here- 
after such  lists,  unless  possessing  unusual  interest  or  value,  will  not  be  included  in  the 
translation.     Those  already  furnished  will  serve  as  types. 

2  The  Liberian  Catalogue  has  this,  "in  the  time  of  Constantine,  from  the  consulship 
of  Felicianus  and  Titianus  (a.d.  337),  from  February  6  to  April  12  in  the  year  when 
Constantius  was  consul  for  the  fifth  time  and  Constantius  was  Caesar  (a.d.  352)." 

3  The  author  of  the  Lib.  Pont,  has  inserted  here  a  sentence  which  would  be  more 
appropriate  in  the  history  of  Liberius,  the  next  pope,  who  was  in  fact  driven  into  exile 
through  the  influence  of  an  heretical  emperor.  Pope  Julius,  on  the  contrary,  was  sup- 
ported throughout  his  pontificate  by  the  orthodox  Constans  and  after  the  latter's 
death  by  Magnentius.  He  played  an  authoritative  part  in  the  doctrinal  controversies 
which  in  his  day  were  distracting  the  Eastern  branch  of  the  church. 

^  The  church  was  rebuilt  by  Pelagius  I  in  honor  of  the  apostles,  Philip  and  James, 
and  is  now  known  as  Santi  Apostoli.  Infra,  p.  162,  n.  2.  It  stands  on  the  edge  of  the 
ancient  forum  of  Trajan. 

^  The  modern  basilica  of  Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere,  rebuilt  by  Gregory  IV  in  the 
ninth  century  and  by  Innocent  II  in  the  twelfth.  It  is  called  in  the  Lib.  Pont,  the 
basiUca  of  Julius  until  the  eighth  century,  when  it  is  styled  the  basilica  of  Mary.  The 
first  church  on  the  site  was  probably  erected  by  Callistus  but,  built  in  an  era  of  perse- 


74  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

and  3  cemeteries,  one  on  the  Via  Flaminia,  another  on  the  Via 
Aurelia  and  another  on  the  Via  Portuensis.^ 

He  made  a  regulation  that  no  member  of  the  clergy  should  plead 
any  case  in  pubhc  except  in  a  church,^  and  that  the  information 
which  concerns  all  in  the  faith 

of  the  church  | 

should  be  collected  by  notaries,  and  that  all  documents  should  be 
duly  recorded  in  church  by  the  chief  of  the  notaries ;  whether  bonds 
or  instruments  or  deeds  of  gift  or  of  exchange  or  of  delivery  or  wills 
or  rescripts  or  manumissions  of  a  member  of  the  clergy,  they  should 
be  recorded  in  church  within  the  sacred  archives.^ 

*  *  •*  *  *  *  *  *4 

He  also  was  buried  on  the  Via  Aurelia  in  the  cemetery  of  Cale- 
podus  ^  at  the  third  milestone 

from  the  city  of  Rome,  [ 

April  12. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  25  days. 


cution,  it  was  perhaps  only  a  small  and  unobtrusive  hall  of  meeting.  See  supra,  p.  20, 
n.  s. 

1  The  first  of  these  three  suburban  foundations  was  the  great  basilica  of  San  Valen- 
tino, two  miles  beyond  the  city  gate  of  the  same  name.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  early 
pilgrim  itineraries  as  a  church  of  exceptional  size  and  beauty  but  by  the  fourteenth 
century  it  was  already  in  ruins  and  now  hardly  a  vestige  is  left  above  ground.  Recent 
excavations  have  disclosed  the  pavement  of  the  nave  and  apse  and  have  revealed  among 
other  objects  an  epitaph  set  up  in  359,  only  seven  years  after  the  death  of  Julius.  The 
second  of  the  extramural  churches  was  probably  built  above  the  cemetery  of  Calepodio, 
where  Julius  was  buried,  the  third  may  have  been  the  basilica  of  Felix,  now  also  dis- 
appeared. 

*  A  repetition  of  the  apocryphal  decree  already  ascribed  to  Sylvester.  Supra,  p.  45, 
and  n.  7. 

^  An  attempt  to  require  all  members  of  the  clergy  to  register  deeds,  wills  and  other 
legal  documents  in  the  episcopal  court  instead  of  in  the  municipal.  There  is  no  other 
account  of  such  a  decree.  Our  text  may  record  a  custom  or  a  policy  which  grew  up 
gradually  rather  than  a  formal  enactment.  It  is  likely  that  there  was  jealousy  be- 
tween the  ecclesiastical  and  civil  tribunals  and  some  overlapping  of  jurisdiction. 
Duchesne,  Lih.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  206,  n.  10. 

^  List  of  ordinations. 

^  Pope  Callistus  had  been  buried  there.     Supra,  p.  21,  n.  i. 


LIBERIUS  75 

XXXVII.   LiBERius  (352-366) 

Liberius,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Augustus,  occu- 
pied the  see  6  years,  3  months  and  4  days.  He  was  bishop  in 
the    time    of    Constantius,   son  of   Constantine,    to    Constantius 

Augustus  III.^ 

He  was  sent  into  exile  by  Constantius  because  he  refused  to 
consent  to  the  heresy  of  Arius,  and  he  was  in  exile  3  years.  And 
Liberius  summoned  together  the  priests  and  by  their  counsel  or- 
dained in  his  stead  Felix,  the  venerable  priest  and  bishop.^  And 
Felix  held  a  council  and  found  two  priests,  Ursacius  and  Valens  by 
name,  in  sympathy  with  Constantius  Augustus,  the  Arian,  and  in 
the  council  of  the  48  bishops  he  expelled  them.^ 

1  The  Liherian  Catalogue  ends  here  with  the  date  of  the  opening  of  the  pontificate 
of  Liberius,  352. 

2  The  history  of  Liberius  and  Felix,  as  given  in  our  text,  is  a  strange  medley  of 
facts  and  legend.     The  actual  occurrences  seem  to  have  been  the  following.    Liberius, 
early  in  his  pontificate,  was  required  by  the  emperor  to  recognize  the  Eastern  Arian 
bishops  as  members  of  the  same  communion.      On  his  refusal   he  was   condemned 
to   exile  and  spent   three    years  in   banishment   in   Thrace.     The    Roman   clergy 
meanwhile  bound  themselves  by  oath  to  accept   no   other   bishop   during   his   life- 
time.    However,  the  archdeacon  Felix  shortly  afterward  came  to  an  understanding 
with  the  emperor  and  was  ordained  bishop  in  Liberius'  stead  and  accepted  by  most  of 
the  clergy  in  the  city.     The  Roman  people,  on  the  other  hand,  remained  loyal  to 
Liberius  and  demanded  his  recall  of  Constantius,  when  the  latter  visited  the  city  in 
357.     Liberius  now  proved  willing  to  give  certain  pledges  of  tolerance  and  returned  to 
Rome  in  358  to  receive  an  enthusiastic  welcome.     It  was  planned  at  first  that  Liberius 
and  Felix  should  share  the  duties  and  prerogatives  of  the  bishopric  but  outbreaks  of 
violence  followed  the  attempt  at  compromise  and  Felix  was  compelled  to  leave  the  city. 
Later  he  tried  to  get  possession  of  the  basihca  of  Julius,  Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere, 
but  was  forced  to  retire.     He  died  in  November,  365.     Liberius  was  inclined  to  be  for- 
giving and  restored  the  adherents  of  FeHx  to  their  original  posts,  but  many  of  his  party 
were  less  placable.     On  the  death  of  Liberius  in  366  a  schism  broke  out,  the  bitter 
enemies  of  Felix  chose  Ursinus  as  pope,  the  moderates,  who  had  upheld  the  pacifist  policy 
of  Liberius,  chose  Damasus.     See  infra,  pp.  79-80.     For  a  discussion  of  the  process 
by  which  the  legendary  version  of  these  incidents  has  been  evolved  and  Felix  has  been 
transformed  from  a  heretic  supplanter  of  Liberius  to  an  orthodox  saint  installed  by 
Liberius'  own  hands,  as  in  our  text,  see  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  cxx-cxxv. 
A  summary  of  Liberius'  correspondence  with  Constantius  and  with  other  bishops 
on  these  matters  may  be  found  in  Jaffe,  Regesta,  pp.  33-35,  208-228. 

3  The  real  Ursacius  and  Valens  were  bishops  of  Belgrade  and  Eszek  respectively  and 
the  chief  representatives  of  the  Arian  sect  in  the  West.  They  had  been  condemned 
by  the  Council  of  Sardica  under  Pope  Julius  but  were  readmitted  to  communion  by 
Felix  in  fulfilment  of  his  agreement  with  the  emperor.  The  story  given  in  the  Lib. 
Pont,  is  therefore  an  exact  reversal  of  the  truth.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  208,  n.  6. 


76  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

But  after  a  few  days  Ursacius  and  Valens  were  impelled  by  zeal 
to  beseech  Constantius  Augustus  to  recall  Liberius  from  exile  that 
he  might  maintain  one  single  communion 

but  without  baptising  a  second  apart  from  the  second  baptism, 
time.^ 

Then  authority  was  sent  by  Catulinus,  the  commissioner,^  and 
Ursacius  and  Valens  went  together  to  Liberius.  And  Liberius 
accepted  the  commands 

of  Augustus  I 

that  he  should  extend  the  one 
single  I 

communion  to  the  heretics,  provided  only  that  they  should  not 
administer  the  second  baptism. 

Then  they  recalled  Liberius  from  exile. 

And  on  his  return 

from  exile  | 

Liberius  dwelt  in  the  cemetery  of  the  holy  Agnes  in  the  household 

of  the  sister 

of  Constantius  1  of  Constans 

Augustus,^  as  if  he  thought  that  through  her  intervention  or  at  her 

request  he  might  come  again  into  the  city. 

Then  Constantia  Augusta,  who  was  faithful  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  would  not  make  request  of  Constantius  Augustus,  her 
brother,  because  she  understood  his  design. 

At  that  time  Constantius,  in  company  with  Ursacius  and  Valens^ 
assembled  some  men  who  belonged  to  the  dregs  of  the  Arians  and, 
pretending  that  he  had  held  a  council,  sent  and  recalled  Liberius 
from  the  cemetery  of  the  blessed  Agnes.     And  that  same  hour 

1  I.e.  Liberius  was  not  expected  to  demand  the  second  baptism  of  all  Catholics 
who  chose  to  join  the  Arian  sect,  as  the  Arians  themselves  did. 

2  The  title  here  translated  commissioner  is  "agentem  in  rebus,"  i.e.  one  of  the  agents 
of  the  imperial  police  instituted  by  Diocletian.  They  were  employed  often  on  business 
connected  with  the  general  administration. 

3  The  fact  that  Liberius  decorated  the  tomb  of  St.  Agnes  may  have  given  rise 
to  the  idea  of  his  sojourn  at  the  basilica  and  the  existence  of  the  mausoleum  of  Constan- 
tina  in  the  neighborhood  may  have  suggested  the  addition  of  the  princess.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  no  princess  of  the  name  of  Constantia  or  Constantina  was  living  in  358. 
Constantina,  daughter  of  Constantine,  died  in  354.     Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  208,  n.  la 


LIBERIUS  77 

Constantius  Augustus  entered  Rome  and  held  a  council  with  the 
heretics  and  likewise  with  Ursacius  and  Valens  and  expelled  Felix 
from  the  bishopric,  for  he  was  catholic,  and  reinstated  Liberius. 

From  that  day  forward  there  was  a  persecution  of  the  clergy, 
so  that  priests  and  clergy  were  slain  in  church  and  were  crowned 
with  martyrdom.^  But  FelLx,  after  he  was  deposed  from  the  bishop- 
ric, dwelt  on  his  own  estate  on  the  Via  Portuensis  and  there  he  slept 
in  peace,  July  29. ^  Liberius  entered  the  city  of  Rome,  August  2, 
and  he  was  in  accord  with  Constantius,  the  heretic. 

Nevertheless  Liberius  was  not  baptised  a  second  time, 

but  he  gave  his  consent.  | 

And  he  held  the  basilicas  of  the  blessed  Peter  and  of  the  blessed 
Paul  and  the  basilica  of  Constantine  for  6  years,^  and  there  was  a 
great  persecution  in  the  city  of  Rome,  so  that  the  clergy  and  the 
priests  could  enter  neither  a  church  nor  a  bath. 

This  Liberius  decorated  with  slabs  of  marble  the  sepulchre  of 
holy  Agnes,  the  martyr. 

Now  all  the  years  of  Felix  are  included  within  the  term  of 
Liberius.^    He 

built  the  basilica  of  his  own  name 
near  the  Macellum  of  Libia  ^  and 

held  2  ordinations. 

1  The  extent  of  the  disorder  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  at  the  Council  of 
Rimini  in  359  there  was  no  representative  from  the  church  of  Rome. 

2  The  antipope  Fehx  II  is  here  confused  with  a  popular  saint  Felix,  of  whom  nothing 
is  now  known  but  the  fact  that  he  was  revered  in  a  basilica  on  the  Via  Portuensis,  per- 
haps the  very  basihca  erected  just  before  these  events  by  Pope  Julius  I.  Supra,  p.  74, 
n.  I.  Felix  II  died  November  22,  365.  For  a  different  but  equally  erroneous  version 
of  his  death  and  burial  see  infra,  pp.  78,  79.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  pp.  cxxiii,  cxxivi, 
209,  n.  13. 

3  Liberius  lived  for  eight  years  after  his  restoration,  358-366. 

*  This  sentence  would  seem  to  imply  that  at  the  date  when  it  was  written  there  was 
no  separate  account  of  Fehx  II,  such  as  now  follows  the  life  of  Liberius,  and  that  the 
separate  account  was  an  interpolation  of  one  of  the  later  editors  of  the  Lih.  Pont.  The 
imtrustworthy  character  of  the  account  makes  this  supposition  plausible. 

^  Or  "near  the  market  of  Livia."  The  famous  church  of  Santa  Maria  Maggiore. 
The  framework  of  the  structure,  the  columns  and  the  mosaics  of  the  nave  may  still 
go  back  to  Liberius.  The  church  was  the  battleground  of  the  warring  factions  under 
Damasus  and  underwent  a  thorough  restoration  at  the  hands  of  Xystus  III.  Infra, 
p.  94,  n.  I. 


78  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

1 


* 


And  he  was  buried  on  the  Via  Salaria  in  the  cemetery  of  Pris- 
cilla,^ 

September  9.  |  April  25. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  6  days. 


XXXVIII.   Felix  II  (355-358) 

Felix,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Anastasius,  occupied  the 
see  I  year,  3  months  and  2  days. 

He  declared  ^  that  Constantius,  son  of  Constantine,  was  a  heretic 
and  had  been  baptised  a  second  time  by  Eusebius, 

bishop  of  Nicomedia,  |  of  Nicomedia  near  Nicomedia, 

in  the  villa  which  is  called  Aquilone.^     And  for  this  declaration, 
by  order  of  the  same  Constantius  Augustus,  son  of   Constantine 
Augustus,  he  was  crowned  with  martyrdom  and  beheaded. 
He  built  a  basilica  on  the  Via  Aurelia,^ 

*  List  of  ordained  clergy. 

2  The  location  of  the  tomb  of  Liberius  within  the  cemetery  is  unknown.  Duchesne 
gives  an  epitaph  in  verse,  copied  by  a  pilgrim  of  the  seventh  century,  which  from  in- 
ternal evidence  he  thinks  may  have  been  the  inscription  over  the  grave  of  Liberius. 
Op.  cit.,  p.  209,  n.  19. 

'  For  the  unreliability  of  the  succeeding  narrative  see  supra,  p.  75,  n.  2,  p.  77, 
nn.  2  and  4.  On  p.  77  Felix  is  depicted  as  dying  peacefully  and  being  buried  on  the  Via 
Portuensis.  Here  he  defies  the  emperor,  suffers  martyrdom  and  is  buried  in  his  basilica 
on  the  Via  Aureha.  As  in  the  preceding  account  he  was  confused  with  a  saint  of  the 
same  name  who  was  honored  on  the  Via  Portuensis,  so  here  he  is  confused  with  two  other 
saints,  also  of  the  same  name,  who  shared  a  basilica  on  the  Via  Aurelia.  It  is  possible 
that  the  story  of  his  martyrdom  was  drawn  from  a  Passion  of  one  of  the  older  saints. 
Pope  Fehx  I  had  also  been  identified  with  one  of  them.  Supra,  p.  33,  n.  i.  Duchesne, 
Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  cxxiii,  cxxiv. 

*  The  name  is  taken  from  the  Chronicle  of  St.  Jerome,  who  says  that  Constantine, 
not  Constantius,  was  baptised  near  Nicomedia  and  died  soon  afterward  at  a  villa  called 
Acyron  in  the  same  neighborhood.  Jerome,  Chronicon,  ed.  Helm,  in  Eusebius^  Werke, 
vol.  VII,  pt.  I,  p.  234.  {Die  Griechischen  Christlichen  Schriftsteller  der  ersten  drei 
Jahrhuiiderte.)  Our  author  is  here  trying  to  defend  the  story  of  Constantine 's  baptism 
at  Rome  {supra,  pp.  42,  50)  by  explaining  away  Jerome's  statement  that  he  was 
baptised  in  the  East.  He  says  not  only  that  Constantius,  "son  of  Constantine,"  was 
the  one  baptised  at  Nicomedia  but  also  that  it  was  an  heretical,  second  baptism. 

^  The  basihca  of  the  two  saints  Fehx  on  the  Via  Aurelia  may  have  been  built  by 
Fehx  II.     Its  site  has  not  been  discovered. 


FELIX   II,    DAMASUS 


79 


two  miles  from  the  city, 
where  also  he  is  buried, 

while  he  was  filling  the  office  of  priest,  and  he  bought  land  around 
the  site  of  that  same  church,  which  he  bestowed  upon  the  church 
which  he  had  built. 


He  also  was  be- 
headed, with  many 
clergy  and  faithful, 
secretly  near  the 
walls  of  the  city,  be- 
side the  aqueduct  of 
Trajan, 

November  1 1 ,  and 
thence  the  Christians 
with  Damasus,  the 
priest,  stole  away  his 
body  by  night, 

and  they  buried  him 
in  his  aforesaid  ba- 
sihca  on  the  Via 
Aurelia,  November  15, 


He  also  suffered  in 
the    town   of    Cora,^ 


November  1 1 ,  and 
thence  his  body  was 
stolen  away  by 
priests  and   clergy 


and  was  buried  in  the 
basilica  which  he 
himself  had  built  on 
the  Via  Aureha,  No- 
vember 20,  at  the 
second  milestone. 


m  peace. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  38  days. 


He  also  suffered  in 
the  town  of  Cora, 
with  many  clergy  and 
faithful,  secretly  near 
the  walls  of  the  city, 
beside  the  aqueduct 
of  Trajan, 

November  1 1 ,  and 
thence  his  body  was 
stolen  away  at  night 
by  priests  and  clergy 
together  with  Da- 
masus, the  priest, 
and  was  buried  in  his 
aforesaid  basilica, 
which  he  himself  had 
built  on  the  Via  Au- 
relia, November  20, 
at  the  second  mile- 
stone, in  peace. 


XXXIX.   Damasus  (366-384) 

Damasus,  by  nationality  a  Spaniard,  son  of  Antonius,  occupied 
the  see  18  years,  3  months  and  11  days.  And  at  the  time  of  his 
ordination  ^  Ursinus  was  ordained   also  because  of   a  dissension ; 

'  List  of  ordinations. 

2  Cori  in  the  Campagna.  The  festival  of  yet  another  St.  Fehx  was  celebrated  in 
the  country  districts  near  Rome.  There  may  have  been  a  tradition  of  his  martyrdom 
at  Cori. 

'  This  and  the  following  sentence  do  not  appear  in  the  two  earhest  abridgments 


8o 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


and  a  council  of  priests  was  held  and  they  appointed  Damasus, 
inasmuch  as  the  multitude  was  powerful  and  very  numerous,  and 
thus  Damasus  was  appointed.  And  they  sent  Ursinus  from  the 
city  and  appointed  him  bishop  of  Naples ;  and  Damasus  abode  in 
the  city  of  Rome  as  bishop  over  the  apostolic  see. 
He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Juhan.^ 


He 

He 

At    the 

He 

He 

built  two 

built  two 

same  time 

built    two 

built    a 

basilicas, 

basilicas, 

he    built 

basilicas, 

basilica 

one  to  the 

one 

two  basi- 

one,   near 

near   the 

blessed 

licas,  one, 

the    thea- 

theatre to 

Lawrence 

near    the 

tre,  to  the 

the  holy 

near  the 

theatre,  to 

holy 

Lawrence, 

theatre, 2 

the  holy 

Lawrence, 

and  the 

near  the 

Lawrence, 

and  the 

other  on 

Via     Ar- 

other  on 

the      Via 

deatina, 

the  Via 

Ardeati- 

Ardeati- 

of  the  Lib.  Pont.  Duchesne  regards  them  as  interpolations,  inserted  to  make  the  history 
of  Damasus  correspond  as  closely  as  possible  to  that  of  Pope  Symmachus.  (C/.  the 
election  under  Symmachus  of  the  antipope  Laurentius,  i>ifra,  p.  ii6.)  Some  of  the 
phrases  in  the  two  narratives  are  strikingly  similar.  Damasus'  election  was,  of  course, 
contested  by  Ursinus  and  his  adherents  (For  the  general  situation  see  supra,  p.  75,  n.  2), 
but  the  deciding  factor  was  not  a  church  council  but  the  civil  government,  which  after 
some  hesitation  pronounced  in  favor  of  Damasus  and  sentenced  Ursinus  to  exile. 
Ursinus  was  npt  granted  a  bishopric  or  any  other  compensation,  as  was  Laurentius,  the 
rival  of  Symmachus.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  213,  nn.  3-5. 

1  Our  author  is  here  attempting  to  continue  the  imperial  synchronisms  of  the 
Llberian  Catalogue.  His  attempt  is  not  successful,  since  the  reign  of  Julian  fell  alto- 
gether within  the  pontificate  of  Liberius. 

2  The  basilica  of  San  Lorenzo  in  Damaso,  which  stands  not  far  from  the  theatre  of 
Pompey.  A  dedicatory  inscription,  still  preserved,  seems  to  imply  that  the  building 
was  erected  on  the  site  of  Damasus'  father's  house.  Damasus  himself  had  been  elected 
pope  in  the  church  consecrated  to  St.  Lawrence  "in  Lucina,"  and  for  that  reason, 
perhaps,  chose  the  great  Roman  martyr  for  the  patron  of  one  of  his  own  churches. 
On  either  side  of  the  original  structure  were  porticos  in  which  were  stored  the  archives 
and  library  of  the  Roman  see.  Excavations  in  the  palace  of  the  Cancelleria  have 
recently  revealed  fragments  of  the  ground  plan  of  onepf  these  porticos.  Damasus 
and  his  father  before  him  had  been  connected  with  the  custodianship  of  the  archives 
and  Damasus  may,  therefore,  have  been  interested  in  providing  an  adequate  home  for 
them.  They  appear  to  have  remained  there  until  their  removal,  a  century  or  more 
later,  to  the  Lateran.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  213,  n.  7.  Frothingham,  Monuments  of 
Christian  Rome,  p.  46. 


DAM.\SUS 

8i 

na,^ 

na,     "* 

where  he 

where  he 

where  he 

is  buried, 

is  buried. 

is  buried 
in  the  cat- 

and one 

He   dedi- 

and the 

acombs, 

and  the 

over  the 

cated  the 

other  over 

and  he 

other  over 

Cata- 

marble 

the  Cata- 

dedicated 

the    Cata- 

combs,^ 

slab. 

combs, 

the  marble 

combs, 

where  lay 

whereon 

where  lay 

slab. 

where  lay 

the 

the 

the  holy 

whereon 

the  holy 

bodies  of 

bodies  of 

bodies  of 

lay  the 

bodies  of 

the  holy 

Peter 

the  apos- 

bodies of 

the  apos- 

apostles, 

and  Paul, 

tles,  Peter 

the  apos- 

tles, Peter 

Peter 

the 

and  Paul, 

tles,  that 

and  Paul, 

and  Paul, 

apostles, 
lay, 

is  the 
blessed 
Peter  and 
Paul, 

and  there 

and  he 

and  there 

and  he 

and  there 

he  beauti- 

embel- 

he  beau- 

beautified 

he  beau- 

fied with 

Hshed  it 

tified  with 

it  with 

tified  with 

verses 

with 

verses  the 

verses. 

verses  the 

the  very 

verses. 

very  mar- 

very mar- 

marble 

ble  slab 

ble  slab 

slab 

whereon 

whereon 

whereon 

the  holy 

the  holy 

the  holy 

bodies  lay. 

bodies  lay. 

bodies 

lay.3 

^  Mommsen  calls  the  passage,  "on  the  Via  Ardeatina  .  .  .  and  one,"  an  ancient 
interpolation  taken  from  the  account  later  on  of  Damasus'  burial  place  and  introduced 
here  where  it  only  confuses  the  sense.  Lib.  Pont.,  p.  83,  note  on  1.  7.  The  location  of 
the  cemetery  of  Damasus,  near  that  of  Domitilla,  is  known  but  all  sign  of  his  basilica 
has  disappeared. 

^  The  basilica  of  San  Sebastiano  on  the  Via  Appia,  built  to  commemorate  the  tomb 
of  the  martyr  Sebastian,  and  the  "Platonia,"  the  crypt  where  the  bodies  of  Peter  and 
Paul  are  said  to  have  lain  during  the  persecution  begun  by  Valerian.  See  supra,  p.  26, 
n.  2  ;  Lanciani,  Pagan  and  Christian  Rome,  pp.  345-347.  The  basilica  has  since  been 
completely  rebuilt. 

3  The  inscription  of  Damasus  at  this  spot  was  often  copied  by  pilgrims.     It  is 


82  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  searched  out  many  bodies  of  the  saints  and  found  them 
and  marked  them  with  verses.^ 

He  made  a  regulation  for  the  church. 
He  was  accused 

spitefully  | 

and  charged  with  adultery  and  a  synod  was  called  and  he  was  jus- 
tified by  44  bishops,  who  also  condemned  Concordius  and  Callis- 
tus,  the  deacons,  his  accusers,  and 

expelled  I  ejected 

them  from  the  church.^ 

He  appointed  the  basilica  which  he  had  built  as  a  parish  church 
in  the  city  of  Rome.^ 

*  *  *  *  *  *  **4 

He  appointed  that  the  psalms  should  be  chanted  day  and  night 
in  all  the  churches  and  he  gave  this  command  to  priests  and  bishops 

printed  by  Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  civ,  n.  i.     The  following  is  a  rough  rendering  in 
English. 

"This  place,  you  should  know,  was  once  the  dwelling  of  saints; 

Their  names,  you  may  learn,  were  Peter  and  likewise  Paul. 

The  East  sent  hither  these  disciples,  as  freely  we  confess. 

For  Christ's  sake  and  the  merit  of  His  blood  they  followed  Him  among  the  stars 

And  sought  the  realms  of  heaven  and  the  kingdoms  of  the  righteous. 

Rome  was  deemed  worthy  to  preserve  them  as  her  citizens. 

May  Damasus  offer  them  these  verses,  new  stars,  in  theix  praise  ! " 

1  At  the  time  when  the  Liber  Pontificalis  was  written  the  beautiful  inscriptions  of 
Damasus  still  marked  almost  all  of  the  numerous  shrines  and  tombs  of  saints  and 
martyrs  that  filled  the  environs  of  the  city  and  were  the  resorts  of  pilgrims  and  sight- 
seers. Already  the  identity  of  some  sepulchres  had  been  confused,  others  had  been 
buried  deep  and  altogether  forgotten  and  his  work  of  restoration  and  identification 
came  in  the  nick  of  time.  Frothingham,  op.  ciL,  pp.  45,  46.  De  Rossi  has  made  a 
collection  of  the  Damasian  inscriptions  as  far  as  they  can  be  recovered.  Inscripliones 
Christiana:  Urbis  RomcE,  vol.  II. 

2  Pope  Damasus  was  accused  in  his  old  age  of  some  grave  offence,  but  the  charge  was 
brought  by  a  converted  Jew,  not  by  his  deacons,  and  the  case  was  tried  before  the 
prefect  of  Rome,  not  before  a  church  council.  The  emperor  Gratian  intervened  and 
Damasus  was  acquitted.  The  nature  of  the  indictment  is  not  known,  but  it  seems  un- 
likely to  have  been  adultery.  Damasus  was  about  seventy-five  years  old  at  the  time. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  214,  n.  15. 

3  I.e.  San  Lorenzo  in  Damaso.  It  is  mentioned  as  a  "titulus,"  or  parish  church, 
in  the  documents  of  the  Roman  synod  of  499. 

*  Lists  of  gifts  to  the  basilica  and  of  ordinations. 


DAMASUS,    SIRICIUS 


83 


and  monasteries.^     He  also  was  buried  on  the  Via  Ardeatina  in  his 
own  basilica,  December  11,  near  his  mother  and  his  sister,^ 
And  the  bishopric  was  empty  31  days. 


XL.   SiRicius   (384-399) 

Siricius,  by  nationahty  a  Roman,  son  of  Tiburtius,  occupied  the 
see  15  years.     He  made  a  regulation  for  the  whole  church 


and  sent  it  through  the  prov- 
inces.^ 


He  ordained 

that  without  the  leaven  conse- 
crated by  the  bishop  of  the  dis- 
trict no  priest  could  perform  the 
rite  of  consecration.^ 


against  all  the  heresies  and  sent 
it  throughout  the  entire  world, 
that  it  might  be  preserved  in 
the  archives  of  every  church 
for  a  defense  against  all  here- 
sies.* 

that  no  priest  could  perform 
masses  during  all  the  week, 
unless  he  received  from  the 
bishop  of  the  particular  dis- 
trict the  consecrated  sign  which 
is  called  the  leaven. 


1  This  decree  is  an  interpolation,  suggested  by  the  existence  in  later  times  of  two 
apocryphal  letters  written  ostensibly  by  Damasus  and  St.  Jerome  to  one  another  on  the 
subject  of  Jerome's  edition  of  the  Psalter.  The  earliest  text  of  the  Lihcr  Poniificalis 
attributed  the  institution  of  the  recitation  of  the  Psalms  to  Celestine  I.  See  injra, 
p.  92.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  214,  n.  17. 

'^Cf.  supra,  p.  81,  n.  i.  Damasus'  own  epitaph  and  the  tender  one  he  wrote 
for  his  young  sister  Irene,  whose  death  robbed  him  of  the  fear  of  death,  have  both 
survived.     His  mother's  has  been  lost.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  215,  n.  18. 

»  The  following  letters  written  by  Siricius  and  containing  general  instructions  for  the 
government  of  the  church  are  still  preserved :  one  to  the  bishop  of  Tarragona  giving 
fifteen  canons  for  the  churches  in  Spain,  Gaul  and  Carthage,  another  to  the  church  in 
Africa  reporting  the  decrees  of  the  synod  held  at  the  Vatican  in  386  and  others  to  the 
bishops  in  lUyria  and  to  the  orthodox  throughout  the  provinces  respecting  the  need 
of  care  in  ecclesiastical  appointments.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  pp.  40-41,  25s,  257,  258, 
259,  263. 

*  The  author  of  this  reading  had,  perhaps,  in  mind  a  letter  addressed  by  Siricms  to 
the  church  at  Milan  on  the  subject  of  the  heretic  emperor  Jovinian.  Jaffe,  op.  cit., 
p.  41,  260. 

^  A  repetition  in  substance  of  the  decree  of  Miltiades.     Supra,  p.  41,  n.  2. 


84  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  found  Manicheans 
in  the  city  ^  | 

and  dispatched  them  into  exile  and  ordained  that 

they  should  not  partake  of  com- 
munion with  the  faithful,  be- 
cause the  holy  body  of  the  Lord 
ought  not  to  be  mutilated  in  a 
polluted  mouth.  He  ordained 
that 

if  any  Manichean  were  converted  and  returned  to  the  church  he 
should  in  no  wise  be  admitted  to  communion,  except  he  were  kept 
in  the  restriction  of  a  monastery  as  one  guilty  every  day  of  his 
life,  that  so  he  might  afflict  himself  with  fastings  and  prayers  and 
prove  himself  under  every  trial  until  the  day  of  his  death  and  thus 
through  the  clemency  of  the  church  might  obtain  his  viaticum. 
He  ordained  that  a  heretic 

should  be  reconciled  I  should  be  received 

through   the  imposition  of  hands  in   the  presence  of   the  whole 
church.^ 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *3 

1  The  second  notice  of  Manicheans  in  Rome.  (C/.  supra,  p.  41  and  n.  i.)  That 
they  were  active  in  the  time  of  Siricius  we  know  from  the  writings  of  Augustine,  but 
that  Siricius  undertook  any  such  campaign  against  them  as  is  indicated  here  is  ex- 
tremely doubtful.  At  least  Augustine  says  nothing  of  it.  Leo  I,  a  half  century  later, 
entered  the  lists  against  them,  procured  the  exile  of  some  and  the  reconciliation  of 
others  to  the  church,  but  his  labors  in  this  direction  are  not  mentioned  in  the  Liber 
Pontificalis.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  216,  n.  3. 

2  This  is  perhaps  the  first  of  the  numerous  episcopal  decrees  cited  in  the  Liber 
Pontificalis  known  to  be  derived  from  a  specific  and  authoritative  documentary  source. 
It  is  evidently  based  upon  the  letter  of  Siricius  to  Himerius  of  Tarragona.  "At  the 
opening  of  your  letter  you  stated  that  many  who  had  been  baptised  by  the  impious 
Arians  were  hastening  to  adopt  the  Catholic  faith  and  that  some  of  our  brethren  would 
have  them  baptised  a  second  time;  but  that  is  not  permissible  ...  for  we  admit 
Novatians  and  other  heretics  ...  to  the  community  of  Catholics  by  merely  the  invoca- 
tion of  the  sevenfold  Spirit  and  the  laying  on  of  the  episcopal  hand."  Mansi,  Amplis- 
sima  Collectio,  vol.  Ill,  p.  655.  Cf.  Introduction,  p.  viii,  and  supra,  p.  83,  n.  3.  The 
method  of  reinstating  a  heretic  was  first  prescribed,  according  to  our  author,  by  Euse- 
bius.     Supra,  p.  40  and  n.  i. 

^  List  of  ordinations. 


SIRICIUS,   ANASTASIUS   I  85 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla  on  the  Via 
Salaria/  February  22. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  20  days. 

XLI.   Anastasius  I  (399-401) 

Anastasius,  by  nationaHty  a  Roman,  son  of  Maximus,  occupied 
the  see  3  years  and  10  days. 

He  ordained  that  whenever  the  holy  gospels  were  read  the 
priests  should  not  sit  but  stand  with  bowed  heads. ^  He  made  a 
regulation  for  the  church. 

He  built  also  the  basihca  which  is  called  the  Crescentian  in  the 
Second  District  on  the  Via  Mamurtini  in  the  city  of  Rome.^ 

And  he  ordained 

that  no  cleric  from  beyond  the     that  no  one  from  beyond    the 
sea  sea 

should  be  received 

I  into  the  ranks  of  the  clergy 
unless  he  showed  the  signature  of  5  bishops 


4 


1  In  the  basilica  of  Sylvester.     Duchesne  gives  his  epitaph.     Op.  cit.,  p.  217,  n.  5. 

2  The  Apostolic  Constitutions,  which  represent  the  early  Syrian  usage,  direct  that 
priests  and  deacons  shall  stand  during  the  reading  of  the  Gospel.  Sozomen,  the  fifth 
century  historian,  says  that  in  his  day  the  Alexandrian  custom  was  peculiar  in  allowing 
the  bishop  to  keep  his  seat.  Ecclesiastical  History,  VII,  19,  tr.  Nicene  and  Post-Nicene 
Fathers,  ser.  2,  vol.  II,  p.  390.  Duchesne  thinks  it  possible  that  the  Alexandrian 
custom  was  in  this  respect,  as  in  others,  a  reflection  of  the  custom  at  Rome.  Lib. 
Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  218,  n.  I. 

2  The  site  of  this  basilica  is  now  unknown.  It  is  not  mentioned,  at  least  under  this 
name,  after  the  fifth  century.  The  Via  Mamurtini  is  usually  identified  with  the 
modern  Via  Marforio,  but  the  latter  street  lies  outside  the  Second  Districts,  both  civil 
and  ecclesiastical. 

*  Gregory  I,  in  a  letter  to  one  of  his  bishops,  gives  the  following  injunction.  "Do 
not  on  any  consideration  accept  Africans  or  unknown  travellers  who  claim  admission 
to  ecclesiastical  orders,  for  some  of  the  Africans  are  Manicheans  and  others  rebaptised ; 
moreover,  many  strangers  who  were  actually  members  of  the  lower  orders  are  known 
to  have  laid  claim  often  to  higher  honors."  Epistola,  II,  37  ;  Migne,  Patrologia  Latina, 
vol.  77,  col.  575.  The  Liber  Ponlificalis  demands  an  especially  high  guarantee  of 
honesty.  In  ordinary  circumstances  an  African  priest  or  bishop  on  a  visit  to  Rome 
took  with  him  credentials  signed  simply  by  the  primate  of  his  province  or  the  bishop 
of  Carthage  in  order  to  gain  access  to  the  communion  of  the  Roman  chureh,  but  more 
may  have  been  required  of  one  who  wished  to  be  ordained  at  Rome.  Duchesne,  op. 
cit.,  p.  218,  n.  4. 


86  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


because  at  that  time  Manicheans 
were  found  in  the  city  of  Rome. 


on  account  of  the  Manicheans. 


*  1 


He  also  was  buried  in  his  own  cemetery  near  the  Ursus 
Pileatus,^  April  27.     And  the  bishopric  was  empty  21  days. 

XLII.   Innocent  I  (401-417) 

Innocent,  by  nationality  an  Alban,  son  of  Innocent,  occupied 
the  see  15  years,  2  months  and  21  days. 

He  made  a  regulation  for  the  whole  church  and  statutes  con- 
cerning monastic  rules  and  concerning  Jews  and  pagans  ^  and  he 
found  many  Catafrigians  ^ 

in  the  city  | 

whom  he  constrained  to  exile  in  a  monastery. 

He   found    Pelagius  ^   and    Caelestius,    the   heretics,   and    con- 

1  List  of  ordinations. 

2  The  Salzburg  Itinerary,  one  of  the  early  guides  for  pilgrims,  mentions  the  tomb 
of  Pope  Anastasius  on  the  Via  Portuensis,  not  far  from  the  city  gate.  Duchesne,  op.  ciL, 
p.  219,  n.  5.  The  name  of  the  district,  Ursus  Pileatus,  is  explained  by  the  tale  that 
there  stood  there  once  the  image  of  a  bear  with  a  cap  upon  its  head.  Gregorovius, 
History  of  the  City  of  Rome,  tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  bk.  II,  p.  256. 

3  A  number  of  the  letters  and  decretals  of  Innocent  I  have  survived  but  none 
dealing  particularly  with  monastic  organization,  Jews  or  pagans.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I, 
pp.  44-49,  285-327.      Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  XX. 

■*  I.e.  Phrygians.  The  Theodosian  Code  (lib.  XVI,  5,  40)  contains  a  law  of  Hono- 
rius,  dated  February  407,  against  Manicheans,  Phrygians  and  PriscilHanists.  The 
term  Phrygian  is  used  as  a  synonym  for  Montanist. 

^  The  famous  heretic  and  exponent  of  the  doctrines  of  the  original  soundness  of 
human  nature  and  the  freedom  of  the  will  as  against  Augustine's  theories  of  original 
sin  and  absolute  dependence  upon  divine  grace.  He  and  his  friend  Celestius  were  in 
Rome  for  several  years  before  the  sack  of  Alaric,  410.  The  two  then  crossed  to  Africa, 
where  Celestius  was  tried  for  heresy  and  excommunicated  by  a  synod  called  by  the 
bishop  of  Carthage.  Pelagius  meanwhile  had  gone  on  to  Palestine,  where  in  time  he 
too  was  summoned  on  a  charge  of  heresy  before  a  synod  at  Diospolis  (Lydda)  but  was 
acquitted.  The  African  church  felt  that  a  reflection  was  thereby  cast  upon  its  action 
in  the  case  of  Celestius  and  in  416  sent  an  appeal  on  the  whole  matter  to  Innocent  at 
Rome.  Innocent  upheld  the  African  position  and  denounced  the  peculiar  tenets  of 
Pelagius.  His  letters  in  reply  to  the  appeal  may  be  found  summarized  in  Jaffe,  op.  cit., 
p.  48,  321-323.  Mansi  gives  the  entire  text.  Amplissima  Collectio,  vol.  Ill,  pp.  1071 
et  seq. 


INNOCENT   I  87 

demned  them.  And  he  ordained  that  the  child  of  a  Christian 
woman  must  be  born  a  second  time  through  baptism,  that  is  must 
be  baptised,  a  doctrine  which  Pelagius  condemned.^ 

At  the  same  time  he  dedicated  the  basihca  of  the  holy  Ger- 
vasius  and  Protasius,-  built 

by  bequest,  ' 

as  the  gift  of  an  illustrious  lady  named  Vestina,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  priests  Ursicinus  and  Leopardus  ^  and  the  deacon  Livia- 
nus.  And  the  aforesaid  lady  made  provision  in  her  will  that  the 
basihca  of  the  holy  martyrs  should  be  built  from  the  proceeds  of 
her  jewels  and  her  pearls,  which  should  be  sold  at  a  fair  price,  and 
that  the  building  should  be  carried  on  until  it  was  complete.  The 
most  blessed  Innocent,  by  request  of  the  illustrious  lady  Vestina, 
appointed  the  basihca  a  parish  church  of  Rome  and  for  that  same 
church  she  offered : 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *4 

three  twenty-fourths  and  three  twelfths  of  the  Porta  Nomen- 
tana,  yielding  22  and  one  third  sol. 

He  decreed  that  the  sabbath  should  be  observed  as  a  fast  day, 
because  on  the  sabbath  the  Lord  was  laid  in  the  tomb  and  the 
disciples  fasted.^ 

He  appointed  that  the  basihca  of  the  blessed  Agnes,  the  martyr, 
should  be  administered  and  cared  for  by  the  priests  Leopardus  and 
Pauhnus  and  should  be  roofed  over  and  decorated  at  their  dis- 

1  One  corollary  of  Pelagius'  teachings  was  that  unbaptised  infants  have  eternal 

life. 

2  The  modern  church  of  San  Vitale  is  on  the  same  site  as  this  "Titulus  Vestinae." 

3  This  same  priest  helped  in  the  construction  and  embelUshment  of  the  church  of 
Santa  Pudenziana  under  Siricius  and  in  the  restoration  of  San  Lorenzo  under  Zosimus. 
See  hijra,  p.  89,  n.  3.     Frothingham,  Monuments,  pp.  49,  50,  54,  55- 

4  Long  list  of  gifts  to  the  new  basilica,  precious  vessels,  houses,  lands  and  finally  one- 
eighth  of  the  customs  collected  at  the  Porta  Nomentana. 

5  Another  decree  with  a  clear  basis  in  a  genuine  document.  The  letter  of  Innocent 
to  Decentius,  bishop  of  Gubbio,  contains  the  following  passage  :  "Therefore  we  do  not 
deny  that  fast  should  be  observed  on  the  sixth  day  but  we  maintain  that  the  same 
should  be  practiced  on  the  sabbath,  because  both  days  brought  grief  to  the  apostles 
and  those  who  had  been  with  Christ."  Mansi,  Amplissima  CollecHo,  vol.  Ill,  p.  1028 ; 
Jaffe,  i?ege5/a,  vol.  I,  p.  47,  311- 


88  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

cretion.^     The  control  of  the  aforesaid  parish  church  of  Vestina  was 
entrusted  to  the  priests. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *2 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  near  Ursus  Pileatus,^ 
June  27.  I  July  28. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  22  days. 

XLIII.   ZosiMUS  (417-418) 

Zosimus,  by  nationality  a  Greek,  son  of  Abramius,  occupied  the 

see 

7  years,  9  months  and  24  days.      |  i  year,  3  months  and  11  days. 

He  made  many  decrees  for  the  church  and  ordained  that  dea- 
cons should  wear  napkins  of  wool  and  Knen  to  cover  their  left 
shoulders 

and  that  in  all  the  parishes  per- 
mission should  be  granted  to 
bless  the  wax. 


in  all  the  parishes  ^  and  that  the 
wax  should  be  blessed.^ 


He  likewise  gave  order  that  no  member  of  the  clergy  should 

1  The  basilica  of  St.  Agnes,  being  outside  the  walls  of  the  city,  may  have  suffered 
especially  at  the  hands  of  the  horde  who  accompanied  Alaric.  For  a  description  of  the 
destruction  that  marked  the  sack  of  410  see  Lanciani,  Destruction  of  Ancient  Rome, 
ch.  V,  pp.  56-70;  Gregorovius,  History  of  Rome,  tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  chs.  Ill  and 
IV. 

2  List  of  ordinations. 

*  See  supra,  p.  86  and  n.  2. 

■•  An  extension  to  the  deacons  of  the  "  parish  "  or  suburban  churches  of  the  right 
to  wear  the  maniple  bestowed  by  Sylvester  upon  the  Roman  deacons.  Supra,  p.  45 
and  n.  6.  Neither  this  nor  the  following  decrees  are  found  among  the  records  of 
Zosimus  elsewhere  preserved. 

^The  Latin  word  in  the  first  column  translated  "wax"  is  "cera,"  in  the  second 
"cereus."  Duchesne  suggests  that  the  "cera"  was  the  wax  used  in  Roman  churches 
for  modelling  little  forms  of  the  Agnus  Dei  to  distribute  to  the  people  at  Easter  time. 
The  custom  of  blessing  this  wax  and  moulding  the  lambs  is  described  in  an  Ordo  Romanus 
of  the  ninth  century.  On  the  other  hand  the  "  cereus  "  is  undoubtedly  wax  for  lighting, 
and  Duchesne  conjectures  that  the  author  of  the  second  text  had  in  mind  the  blessing  of 
the  Paschal  candle,  formulae  for  which  were  drawn  up  early  in  the  sixth  century. 
Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  225,  n.  2. 


ZOSIMUS,    BONIFACE    I  89 

drink  in  public,  except  in  a  chamber  belonging  to  the  faithful, 
preferably  to  the  clergy.^ 

**  *  *  *  *  *  *2 

He  also  was  buried  on  the  Via  Tiburtina,  near  the  body  of 
blessed  Lawrence,  the  martyr,^  December  26. 
And  the  bishopric  was  empty  11  days. 


XLIV.   Boniface  I  (418-422) 

Boniface,  by  nationahty  a  Roman,  son  of  locundus,  the  priest, 
occupied  the  see  3  years,  8  months  and  6  days. 

He  was  ordained  by  one  faction  on  the  same  day  as  Eulahus  and 
there  was  dissension  among  the  clergy  for  7  months  and  15  days.^ 

1  A  similar  ordinance  was  passed  by  the  Council  of  Laodicea  and  the  Council  of 
Carthage  in  the  fourth  century. 

2  List  of  ordinations. 

3  An  inscription  which  was  visible  in  the  ninth  century  near  the  choir  of  the  basilica 
of  San  Lorenzo  recorded  the  repair  and  rebuilding  of  the  church  by  the  priest  Leopardus 
at  his  own  expense  in  the  time  of  Zosimus.  Cf.  supra,  p.  87  and  n.  3.  Duchesne 
thinks  that  Leopardus'  reconstruction  may  have  included  the  sinking  of  the  old  basilica 
to  the  level  of  the  saint's  tomb  and  the  Constantinian  confession  so  that  one  did  not 
have  to  be  reached  by  a  stairway  from  the  other  as  in  Constantine's  day,  but  the  whole 
structure  was  partially  subterranean,  as  it  is  at  present.  Cf.  supra,  p.  61.  If  that 
was  the  case,  the  church  itself  was  then  provided  with  a  new  entrance,  a  flight  of 
stairs  leading  from  the  ground  outside  down  into  a  vestibule,  an  arrangement  similar 
to  that  now  to  be  seen  at  Sant'  Agnese.  After  the  small  basilica  was  united  with  the 
larger  by  Honorius  III  the  independent  entrance  was  closed  up  and  the  small  church  was 
reached  only  through  the  larger  one,  as  it  is  to-day.  The  three  niches  in  the  vestibule, 
the  middle  one  of  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  tomb  of  Pius  IX,  were  apparently  used 
for  burial  places  soon  after  Leopardus  finished  them.  At  least  De  Rossi  believes  that 
Zosimus  was  interred  in  one,  Xystus  III  and  HUary  in  the  other  two.  Infra,  pp.  97, 
104.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  197,  n.  84. 

*  Enough  of  the  history  of  this  brief  schism  has  been  recovered  to  make  clear  the 
narrative  of  the  Lib.  Pont.  Pope  Zosimus  was  buried  Friday,  December  27,  418.  On 
their  return  from  his  obsequies  the  Roman  deacons,  headed  by  Eulalius,  the  archdeacon, 
seized  the  basilica  of  the  Lateran,  shut  out  the  priests  and  elected  Eulalius  as  Zosimus' 
successor.  The  priests  on  the  ne.xt  day  elected  Boniface,  one  of  their  number,  in  spite 
of  his  own  protests.  Both  parties  held  ordination  ceremonies  on  Sunday,  Eulalius  and 
his  adherents  in  the  Lateran,  having  dragged  the  bishop  of  Ostia  from  a  sick  bed  to 
officiate,  Boniface  in  another  church  in  the  presence  of  nine  other  bishops.  Both 
claimed  thereafter  the  authority  of  pope.     The  dispute  was  referred  to  Honorius  at 


90  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

Eulalius  was  ordained  in  the  basilica  of  Constantine  and  Boniface 
in  the  basilica  of  Julius.^ 

At  the  same  time  Placidia  Augusta  heard  of  it,  when  she  was 
sojourning  at  Ravenna  with  her  son,  Valentinian  Augustus,  and 
she  reported  it  to  Honorius  Augustus  who  was  at  Milan.  Then 
both  the  Augusti  sent  authority  and  commanded  that  the  two 
bishops  should  depart  from  the  city.''  And  after  they  were  driven 
out  Boniface  dwelt  in  the  cemetery  of  the  holy  FeHcitas,  the  martyr, 
on  the  Via  Salaria,  and  Eulalius  in  the  town  of  Antium  ^  near 
the  holy  Hermes. 

But  when  the  next  Easter  came  Eulalius  was  presumptuous, 
because  he  had  been  ordained  in  the  basilica  of  Constantine,  and 
he  entered  into  the  city  and  baptised  and  celebrated  Easter  in  the 
basihca  of  Constantine ;  but  Boniface  celebrated  the  baptism  of 
Easter,  as  was  his  custom,  in  the  basihca  of  the  holy  martyr  Agnes.'' 

Ravenna,  who  ordered  both-  rivals  to  appear  before  a  council  of  Italian  bishops  and 
justify  their  pretensions.  The  council  met  in  February  or  early  March  but  seemed 
unable  to  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  It  was  accordingly  decided  to  convoke 
another  in  May,  to  which  the  bishops  of  Gaul  and  Africa  should  also  be  invited.  Mean- 
while, in  order  that  Easter,  which  fell  that  year  on  March  30,  might  be  celebrated 
peaceably  in  Rome,  the  council  and  emperor  together  determined  that  Boniface  and 
Eulalius  should  remain  outside  the  city  in  places  appointed  for  them  and  that  Achilleus, 
bishop  of  Spoleto,  should  preside  over  the  Paschal  ceremonies  within  the  city.  Boni- 
face obeyed  the  injunction  but  Eulalius  made  his  way  back  to  Rome,  summoned  his 
party  about  him,  and  on  Good  Friday  took  possession  again  of  the  Lateran.  The 
prefect  of  the  city  was  obliged  to  dislodge  him  by  force  and  to  station  guards  around 
the  bishop  of  Spoleto  while  he  performed  the  episcopal  office.  As  a  result  of  Eulalius' 
refractoriness  Honorius  sent  a  letter  shortly  to  Rome  declaring  him  a  pretender  and 
Boniface  the  true  pope.  On  April  10  Boniface  made  his  entry  into  the  city  and  was 
received  with  general  rejoicing.  The  schism  had  lasted  a  little  over  three  months. 
Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  228,  nn.  i  and  2.     Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  pp.  5i-53- 

1  Boniface  I  was  neither  elected  nor  ordained  in  the  basilica  Julia.  An  eye-witness 
to  his  ordination  says  that  it  took  place  in  the  church  of  Marcellus,  i.e.  San  Lorenzo  in 
Lucina.  Our  author  has  substituted  the  name  of  the  basilica  where  Boniface  II  was 
ordained  when  a  rival  excluded  him  also  from  the  Lateran.     Infra,  p.  140. 

2  There  is  no  other  mention  of  the  participation  of  the  Empress  Placidia  in  this 
affair.     Her  son  Valentinian,  if  born  at  this  date,  was  an  infant  of  a  few  months  only. 

3  The  modern  Porto  d'Anzio.     CJ.  supra,  p.  50,  n.  2. 

*  It  seems  curious  that  Boniface  should  have  been  allowed  to  remain  in  such  close 
proximity  to  the  city  while  Eulalius  was  banished  to  Antium.  It  is  possible  that  Boni- 
face's stay  in  the  cemetery  of  Felicitas  is  purely  legendary,  suggested  by  the  fact  that 
he  restored  later  the  oratory  of  Felicitas  and  set  up  an  inscription  of  gratitude  for  her 
aid.     CJ.  infra,  p.  91. 


BONIFACE   I  91 


When  the  August!  heard  this, 
they  both  sent  and  expelled 
Eulalius  by  52  bishops  and  by 
their  authority  they  recalled 
Boniface  into  the  city  of  Rome 
and  appointed  him  bishop  but 
they  sent  Eulalius  away  into 
Campania. 


And  a  synod  was  held  and 
Eulalius  was  deposed  by  52  bish- 
ops, because  he  had  not  been 
rightfully  ordained,  and  Boniface 
took  the  seat  of  bishop  by  gen- 
eral consent  and  EulaUus  was 
appointed  bishop  for  the  town  of 
Nepete.^ 

And  after  3  years  and  8  months  Boniface  died.  The  clergy  and 
the  people  asked  that  Eulalius  be  recalled.^  Nevertheless  Eulalius 
refused  to  return  to  Rome.  And  in  that  same  place  in  Campania, 
a  year  after  the  death  of  Boniface,  Eulahus  died. 

Boniface  decreed  that  no  woman  or  nun  should  touch  the  con- 
secrated altar  cloth  or  wash  it  or  offer  incense  in  church  but  only 
the  ministering  attendants ;  ^  and  that  no  slave  should  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  clergy  nor  any  man  Hable  to  curial  service  or  any 
other  exaction.^ 

He  built  an  oratory  in  the  cemetery  of  the  holy  Felicitas  near 
her  body  and  beautified  the  sepulchre  of  the  holy  martyr,  Felicitas, 
and  of  the  holy  Silvanus.^ 

1  The  town  of  Nepi  on  the  northern  border  of  the  Roman  province. 

2  In  420,  a  year  after  entering  upon  his  office,  Boniface  fell  seriously  ill.  At  once 
dissension  arose  over  the  question  of  his  successor.  Upon  his  recovery  he  wrote  to 
Honorius  to  ask  that  measures  might  be  taken  to  prevent  a  fresh  outbreak  of  the  schism 
at  his  death.  Honorius  replied  with  an  edict  to  the  effect  that  in  case  of  a  double 
election  the  two  rival  candidates  should  henceforth  both  be  debarred  and  that  a  new 
pope  should  be  chosen  who  could  obtain  the  support  of  every  one.  Unfortunately  the 
edict  could  not  always  be  enforced.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  229,  n.  10.  Jaffe,  Regesta, 
vol.  I,  p.  S3,  353. 

3  The  exclusion  of  women  from  the  ministry  of  the  altar  was  already  the  ancient 
and  invariable  practice  as  early  as  there  is  any  reference  to  the  subject. 

*  There  was  apparently  throughout  this  period  a  regulation  against  the  ordination 
of  slaves  and  "curiales."  Innocent  I  excluded  the  latter  class.  Jaffe,  op.  cit.,  p.  47, 
314.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  229,  n.  12. 

5  De  Rossi  has  identified  the  cemetery  of  Felicitas  with  a  catacomb  and  group  of 
tombs  to  the  right  of  the  Via  Salaria  about  a  mile  from  the  city.  The  oratory  of  Boni- 
face is  mentioned  in  itineraries  of  the  seventh  century,  although  no  traces  of  it  are  now 
to  be  found.  His  inscription,  however,  may  be  read  in  Duchesne.  There  still  exists 
within  the  city,  near  the  baths  of  Trajan,  a  chapel  to  the  saint,  dating  from  the  time  of 
Boniface  and  perhaps  built  also  by  him.  It  is  decorated  with  a  fresco  representing  the 
martyred  Felicitas  and  her  seven  sons,  among  whom  was  the  Silvanus  noted  in  the 
text.     Duchesne,  ibid.,  n.  13 ;  Frothingham,  Monuments,  pp.  55-56. 


92  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *i 

He  also  was  buried 


in  the  cemetery  of  holy  FeUcitas, 
the  martyr,  on  the  Via  Salaria, 


on  the  Via  Salaria,  near  the 
body  of  the  holy  FeUcitas,  the 
martyr, 


October  25. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  9  days. 

XLV.   Celestine  I  (422-432) 

Celestine,  by  nationahty 

a  Campanian,  |  a  Roman, 

son  of  Priscus,  occupied  the  see  8  years,  10  months  and  17  days. 

He  made  many  regulations  and  appointed  that  the  150  psalms 
of  David  should  be  chanted  antiphonally  before  the  sacrifice  by 
everyone ;  -  this  was  not  done  previously  but  only  the  epistle  of 
blessed  Paul,  the  apostle,  was  read  and  the  holy  gospel, 

and  thus  masses  were  performed.  I 

He  made  a  regulation  for  the  whole  church,  in  particular  with 
regard  to  the  religious  Hfe,  and  to  this  day  it  is  kept  preserved  in 
the  archives  of  the  church.^ 

He  dedicated  the  basilica  of  JuHus  and  offered  there  after  the 
Gothic  fire :  * 

a  silver  paten,  weighing  25  lbs. ; 

1  Short  list  of  gifts  to  the  oratory  and  list  of  ordinations. 

2  The  antiphonal  chanting  of  the  Psalms  was  at  first  a  feature  of  the  liturgy  of  the 
Eastern  church  and  thence  was  adopted  into  the  service  in  Italy.  It  is  known  to  have 
been  the  practice  in  Milan  in  387.  This,  of  course,  is  the  psalmody  before  public 
mass  as  distinct  from  the  psalmody  of  the  canonical  hours  of  prayer.  With  the  recita- 
tion of  the  Psalms  followed  by  the  Epistle  and  Gospel  the  office  of  the  mass  was  assum- 
ing shape.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  231,  n.  i. 

3  Several  letters  of  Celestine  are  still  in  existence.  They  relate  to  ecclesiastical 
affairs  in  Gaul,  Africa,  Illyria  and  Britain  and  to  Nestorius  and  the  Council  of  Ephesus. 
No  one  of  them  corresponds  to  the  description  here.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  pp.  55-57, 
366-388. 

*  Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere.  See  supra,  p.  73  and  n.  5.  This  is  one  of  the  rare, 
surviving  allusions  to  the  damage  done  by  Alaric's  raid  of  410.  Orosius  says  that 
Alaric  charged  his  soldiers  to  respect  the  sanctuaries  of  Peter  and  Paul,  but  churches  in 


CELESTINE   I,    XYSTUS    III 


93 


* 


*i 


He  also  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla  on  the  Via 
Salaria,  April  6. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  21  days. 


XLVI.   Xystus  III  (432-440) 

Xystus,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Xystus,  occupied  the 
see  8  years  and  19  days. 

After  one  year  and  8  months  he  was  accused  by  a  man  called 
Bassus,^ 


and  by  order  of  Valentinian 
Augustus  a  synod  was  held  and 
a  great  trial 


Then  Valentinian  Augustus 
heard  it  and  ordered  a  holy 
synod  to  be  called  together  as  a 
council ;  and  when  it  was  con- 
vened there  was  a  great  trial 
and  the  synodical  judgment 
was  given 


and  he  was  acquitted  by  56  bishops 


and  they  expelled  Bassus  from 
the  communion. 


and  Bassus  was  condemned  by 
the  synod  but  with  the  provi- 
sion that  at  his  death  the  vi- 
aticum should  not  be  denied 
him 

for  the  sake  of  mercy 
and     the    compassion    of     the 
church. 

other  parts  of  the  city  apparently  were  not  spared.  Orosius,  Historiarum  Adversum 
Paganos  Libri  VII,  VII,  39,  ed.  Zangemeister  (Teubner),  pp.  292-293.  See  also 
infra,  p.  95,  n.  i. 

1  List  of  gifts  offered  to  the  churches  of  Julius,  Peter  and  Paul.     List  of  ordinations. 

2  The  whole  of  the  ensuing  account  of  the  accusation  and  trial  of  Xystus  is  apocry- 
phal, taken  with  modifications  from  a  narrative  entitled  Gesta  de  Xysti  Purgalione, 
which  was  composed  about  the  year  501,  the  period  when  the  Gesta  Liberii,  the  legend 
of  Liberius,  was  also  fabricated.  See  supra,  p.  75,  n.  2.  Xystus  III  was  never  tried 
for  any  crime.  The  chief  concerns  of  his  pontificate  were  problems  of  dogma  and  the 
Pelagian  and  Nestorian  heresies.  The  story  here  given  is  obviously  the  work  of  some 
one  who  aimed  to  create  a  precedent  for  the  trial  of  Pope  Symmachus  by  a  church  council 


94  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

When  Valentinian  Augustus  heard  this  and  his  mother,  Placidia 
Augusta,  they  were  filled  with  holy  wrath  and  proscribed  Bassus 
by  an  edict  and  bestowed  all  the  lands  of  his  estates  upon  the 
cathoHc  church.  And  Bassus,  by  the  will  of  God,  died  within 
3  months.  And  Xystus,  the  bishop,  with  his  own  hands  wrapped 
his  body  in  linen  cloths  and  spices  and  laid  it  near  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle,  in  his  family  burial  chamber. 

He  built  the  basilica  of  the  holy  Mary,  which  was  called  by 
the  ancients  the  basilica  of  Liberius,^  near  the  Macellum  of  Lybia, 
and  he  offered  there : 

^  ^  ^  4:  ^  ^  ^  ^2 

the  tenements  adjoining  the  steps  of  the  basilica  and  all  con- 
tained therein. 

He  adorned  with  silver  the  confession  of  blessed  Peter,  the 
apostle,  to  the  weight  of  four  hundred  pounds.  At  his  solicitation 
Valentinian  Augustus  offered  a  golden  relief  with  12  doors  and  the 
12  apostles  and  the  Savior,  adorned  with  jewels  of  great  price,^ 

the  which  as  a  votive  gift  he  set 
up 

over  the  confession  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle. 

at  the  direction  of  Theodoric.  Seeinfra, pp.  117-118.  The  history  of  Pope  Damasus  was 
also  tampered  with  for  a  similar  purpose.  Supra,  pp.  79,  n.  3  ;  82,  n.  2.  In  the  narra- 
tive here  Valentinian  plays  the  part  of  Theodoric  later.  Anicius  Bassus  was  a  consul 
in  431  and  his  name  was  probably  found  in  the  Fasti.  The  two  special  features  of  this 
story,  the  confiscation  of  Bassus'  goods  for  the  benefit  of  the  Roman  church  and  his 
burial  near  the  tomb  of  Peter,  were  no  doubt  suggested,  the  one  by  the  basilica  of 
Junius  Bassus,  consul  in  317,  which  had  been  converted  into  a  church  before  the  year 
500  and  the  other  by  the  sarcophagus  of  another  Junius  Bassus,  who  died  in  359, 
which  is  still  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  Vatican  crypt.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol. 
I,  pp.  cxxvi,  cxxvii. 

1  The  basilica  of  Santa  Maria  Maggiore.  See  supra,  p.  77,  n.  5;  Gregorovius, 
History  of  Rome,  tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  184-189.  Xystus  did  not  build  the  basilica 
but  restored  it.  He  added  the  mosaics  of  the  triumphal  arch  which  proclaim  the  divine 
motherhood  of  Mary,  the  dogma  enunciated  by  the  Council  of  Ephesus  during  Xystus' 
pontificate.  Above  them  his  inscription  may  still  be  read,  "XYSTUS  EPISCOPUS 
PLEBI  DEI,"  Bishop  Xystus  to  the  People  of  God. 

2  List  of  gifts  to  the  basilica  of  Mary. 

'  This  is  one  of  the  notable  works  of  art  mentioned  by  Pope  Hadrian  in  his  letter 
to  Charlemagne  on  the  sacred  images  at  Rome.  Mansi,  Amplissima  Colledio,  vol. 
XIII,  p.  801.  It  was  probably  destroyed  during  the  sack  of  the  Saracens  in  846.  A 
design  showing  Christ  and  the  apostles  seated  beneath  the  arcades  of  a  portico  is 
found  on  many  sarcophagi  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries. 


XYSTUS   III  95 

Likewise  Valentinian  Augustus,  at  the  request  of  Xystus,  the 
bishop,  erected  a  ciborium  of  silver  in  the  basihca  of  Constantine, 
which 


weighed  2,000  pounds,  |  weighed  1,610  pounds, 

in  place  of  the  one  which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  barbarians.^ 

At  this  time  Valentinian  Augustus  made  the  confession  of 
blessed  Paul,  the  apostle,  out  of  silver,  weighing  200  pounds.  Also 
Xystus,  the  bishop,  set  up  the  confession  of  blessed  Lawrence,  the 
martyr,^  with  porphyry  columns  and  adorned 

with  slabs 


the  screen  and  the  altar  and  the  confession  of  holy  Lawrence,  the 
martyr,  with  purest  silver, 

he  made  an  altar  | 

weighing  50  lbs. ; 

silver  rails  over  the  porphyry  slabs,  weighing  300  lbs. ; 

an  apse  ^  above  the  rails  with  a  silver  figure  of  blessed  Lawrence, 

the  martyr,  weighing  200  lbs. 

He  built  also  the  basihca  to  the  holy  Lawrence,^  which  Valen- 
tinian Augustus  granted  to  him,  where  likewise  he  offered  the  fol- 
lowing gifts : 

^  ^  ^  'I*  5iC  ^  JjC  "Ko 

^  I.e.  in  place  of  the  one  given  by  Constantine  and  removed  by  the  Goths  of  Alaric. 
Supra,  p.  47,  n.  2. 

2  The  rich  confession  of  St.  Lawrence,  built  in  the  time  of  Constantine  {Supra, 
p.  62),  had  apparently  been  plundered  also  by  the  Goths,  so  that  Xystus  found  it 
necessary  to  restore  most  of  the  furniture.  Duchesne  thinks  that  the  porphyry 
columns  of  Xystus  are  those  which  still  support  the  ciborium  and  that  the  porphyry 
slabs  of  Xystus'  screen  now  enclose  the  altar. 

'  I.e.  a  niche  to  hold  the  image  of  the  saint. 

*  The  larger  basilica  of  San  Lorenzo  fuori  le  Mura,  forming  the  body  of  the  present 
structure  and  connected  with  the  smaller  and  older  church  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
Supra,  p.  61,  n.  2.  This  is  the  generally  accepted  view,  although  Mr.  Frothingham 
claims  to  have  grounds  for  maintaining  that  Xystus  III  built  the  church  of  San  Lorenzo 
in  Lucina  instead  of  the  basilica  outside  the  city.  The  latter  was  certainly  in  existence 
before  the  end  of  the  fifth  century,  but  there  is  no  monument  or  record  to  connect 
it  with  Xystus  beyond  the  ambiguous  notice  here.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  235,  n.  12. 
Frothingham,  Monuments,  p.  407. 

^  List  of  precious  utensils  given  to  the  basilica  of  St.  Lawrence. 


96 


LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 


He  built  also  a  monastery  at 
the  Catacombs.^ 

He  built  also  a  baptismal 
font  for  the  holy  Mary  and  beau- 
tified it  with  porphyry  columns.^ 

He  erected  in  the  baptistery 
of  the  basilica  of  Constantine 
the  columns  which  had  been  col- 
lected in  the  time  of  Constan- 
tine Augustus,  eight  in  number, 
made  of  porphyry ;  and  he  set 
them  in  place  and  decorated 
them  with  letters  and  verses ;  ^ 


also  a  tablet  in  the  cemetery  of 
CalUstus,  where  he  recorded  the 
names  of  the  bishops.^ 


basilica    of 

decoration 

which    pre- 

been    there ; 


He  built  in  the 
Constantine  a 
around  the  font, 
viously  had  not 
that  is,  he  set  up  the  marble 
architraves  and  the  porphyry 
columns  which  Constantine 
Augustus  collected  and  laid  to- 
gether and  ordered  to  be  set  up 
and  he  adorned  them  with 
verses.  He  placed  a  tablet  in 
the  cemetery  of  CalHstus  on  the 
Via  Appia,  where  he  inscribed 
the  names  of  the  bishops  and 
martyrs  for  a  memorial. 

1  The  monastery  of  San  Sebastiano,  one  of  the  first,  if  not  actually  the  first,  to  be 
built  adjoining  a  suburban  church,  in  order  to  provide  for  the  religious  services  which 
could  no  longer  be  adequately  maintained  by  the  clergy  of  the  urban  basilica  with 
which  the  cemeterial  church  was  connected.     For  the  site  see  supra,  p.  8i  and  n.  2. 

2  No  trace  of  this  baptistery  now  remains. 

3  The  eight  porphyry  columns  and  the  inscription  upon  the  architrave  may  still 
be  seen  in  the  Lateran  baptistery.     Cf.  supra,  p.  50. 

^  The  marble  tablet  was  set  up  in  the  papal  crypt  of  the  catacomb  of  Callistus  and 
bore  the  names  of  the  martyred  popes  and  other  saints  who  were  buried  there.  Du- 
chesne gives  a  conjectural  reading  of  the  inscription,  as  made  out  by  De  Rossi  : 

"The  Names  of  the  Bishops,  Martyrs  and  Confessors  who  are  buried  in  the  Ceme- 
tery of  Callistus 

Xystus  Dionysius  Stephen  Urbanus 

Cornelius  Felix  Lucius  Manno 

Pontianus  Eutychianus  Anteros  Numidianus 

Fabianus  Gains  Laudiceus  Julianus 

Eusebius  Miltiades  Polycarp  Optatus 

Of  These  the  First,  the  Holy  Xystus,  Suffered  with  Agapitus,  Felicissimus  and 
XI  Others." 

The  tablet  itself  has  long  disappeared  but  De  Rossi  derives  his  reading  from  two 
early  lists  of  inscriptions  which  seem  to  have  been  copied  from  the  original  stones. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  236,  n.  16.  It  may  be  noticed  that  fourteen  out  of  these  twenty 
names  are  those  of  popes. 


XYSTUS   III,   LEO   I 


97 


And  In  his  time  Peter,  the 
bishop,  built  the  basilica  of  the 
holy  Savina  in  the  city  of  Rome 
and  erected  there  a  font.^ 

He  also  was  buried  on  the  Via  Tiburtina  in  a  crypt, 


*  1 


near  the  holy  Lawrence.^ 


near   the   body  of   the   blessed 
Lawrence. 


And  the  bishopric  was  empty  22  days. 

From  the  death  of  Silvester 
to  Leo  I  is  99  years,  5  months 
and  26  days. 


XLVII.   Leo  I  (440-461) 

Leo,  by  nationality  a  Tuscan,  son  of  Quintianus,  occupied  the 
see  21  years,  i  month  and  13  days. 

He  made  a  regulation  for  the 
church. 

In  his  time  Demetria,  the  handmaid  of  God,  built  a  basilica  to 
the  holy  Stephen  in  her  own  garden  on  the  Via  Latina  at  the  third 
milestone.^ 

He  found  two  heresies, 
Eutyches  and  Nestorius,^  the  Eutychian 


the 
some 


through 
and  the  Nes-  aid  of 
torian.  bishops. 

1  Minor  gifts  to  the  churches  of  Peter,  Paul  and  Lawrence.     List  of  ordinations. 

2  The  basilica  of  Santa  Sabina  on  the  Aventine.  Its  graceful  columns  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  taken  from  a  neighboring  temple  to  Juno  Regina,  despoiled  by 
Alaric.  Its  famous  carved  doors  of  cypress  wood  are  among  the  finest  examples  of 
fifth  century  art.  According  to  the  dedicatory  inscription  over  the  entrance  the  build- 
ing was  begun  while  Celestine  was  pope.     It  may  have  been  finished  under  Xystus. 

^  On  this  place  see  supra,  p.  89,  n.  3. 

*  This  is  Anicia  Demetrias,  of  the  house  of  the  Anicii  Probi,  one  of  the  group  of 
devout  women  at  Rome,  the  friend  and  pupil  of  Augustine  and  Jerome.  She  left  her 
property  for  the  building  of  a  church  to  St.  Stephen,  which  was  erected  toward  the 
close  of  Leo's  pontificate.  A  few  ruins  now  show  where  it  stood  and  testify  by  their 
rude  workmanship  to  the  decline  of  Roman  skill  during  the  years  that  saw  the  invasions 
of  Attila  and  Genseric.     Frothingham,  Monuments,  p.  63. 

^  Nestorius  was  charged  with  holding  that  there  were  two  persons  as  well  as  two 


98 


LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 


and  by  request  of  Marcian  Au- 
gustus, the  orthodox,  and  at  his 
bidding 


He,  by  his  own  authority, 
issued  precepts  and  he  sent  to 
Marcian  Augustus,  the  ortho- 
dox, cathohc  prince,  and  an 
assemblage  was  called  and  the 
bishops  were  gathered  together 
with  the  prince  and 

the  holy  council  of  the  bishops  was  held  at  Chalcedon 


in  the  confession  chapel  of  the 
holy  Euphemia;  and  256  priests 
were  met  together, 

408  bishops 

and  they  were  assembled  to- 
gether with  the  Tome,  that 
contained  the  declaration  of 
faith  of  the  apostohc,  Roman 
church  and  the  autograph  of 
the  holy  bishop  Leo.  Then  in 
the  presence  of  the  cathohc 
prince  Marcian  Augustus  the 
assembled  council  of  bishops, 
in  number  1200,  in  company 
with  Marcian  Augustus  set  forth 
the  catholic  faith,  two  natures 
in  one  Christ,  God  and  man. 

natures  in  Christ,  the  God-man,  Eutyches  that  there  was  but  one  person  and  one 
nature.  For  a  good,  general  account  of  the  Nestorian  and  Eutychian  controversies 
see  Cambridge  Medieval  History,  vol.  I,  pp.  494-515-  <7-  Luke  Rivington,  Roman 
Primacy,  430-451,  (Catholic) ;  Puller,  Primitive  Saints  aiid  the  See  of  Rome,  (Protest- 
ant);  Hefele,  op.  cil.,  vol.  IT,  pp.  499-881.  Ayer,  Source  Book  of  Ancient  Church 
History,  pp.  476-481,  504-522. 

1  The  following  two  accounts  in  our  text  of  the  Council  of  Chalcedon  are  both 
somewhat  confused,  the  one  in  the  first  column  giving,  on  the  whole,  a  slightly  more 
accurate  notion  of  its  work  than  the  other,  as  may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  with  the 
facts.  The  council  met  in  451  at  the  summons  of  the  emperor  Marcian  and  contrary 
to  the  express  desire  of  the  pope.     It  held  its  sessions  in  the  basilica  of  St.  Euphemia 


in  the  East  in  the  basihca  of  the 
holy  martyr  Euphemia ;  ^  and 
he  gathered  together  266  priests 

beside 

406  bishops 

who  sent  their  autographs, 

and  they  condemned  Eutyches 
and  Nestorius.  And  after  42 
days,  being  gathered  together 
with  the  autographs,  those  who 
were  present,  1200  bishops,  set 
forth  the  faith  in  the  presence  of 
Marcian,  the  most  pious  Augus- 
tus, 


LEO   I 


99 


and  he,  together  with  Placidia 
Augusta,  professed  his  faith  pub- 
hcly  before  the  eyes  of  the  holy 
bishops  and  Eutyches  was  con- 
demned a  second  time. 


Afterwards  the  emperor  Mar- 
cian  and  1 50  bishops  sent  an  offi- 
cial letter  and  asked  Leo,  the 
pope,  to  transmit  to  them  an  ex- 
position of  the  catholic  and  apos- 
tolic faith.  Then  the  blessed 
Leo  expounded  it  and  sent  the 
Tome  and  confirmed  the  holy 
synod. 


He  wrote 
many  letters 
setting  forth 
the  true  catho- 
lic faith,  which 
are  kept  to  this 
day  in  the  ar- 
chives of  the 
Roman  church. 


He  set 

forth  the  true 
cathoHc  '  faith 
in  company 

with  many 

bishops,  and 
his  writings  are 
kept  to  this 
day  in  the  ar- 
chives    of      the 


And  there  the  pious  Mar- 
cian  Augustus,  together  with 
his  wife,  Pulcheria  Augusta, 
laid  aside  his  regal  majesty  and 
professed  his  faith  before  the 
eyes  of  the  holy  bishops  and 
they  condemned  Eutyches  and 
Nestorius.     I  Nestorius    and 

I  Dioscorus. 
And  a  second  time  the  em- 
peror Marcian  with  his  con- 
sort, Pulcheria  Augusta,  set 
forth  his  faith  and  signed  it 
with  his  own  hand  and  demand- 
ed of  the  holy  council  that  it 
should  send  his  profession  to  the 
most  blessed  pope  Leo  and 
condemn  all  heresies. 

Moreover  the  most  blessed 
archbishop  Leo  sent  many  let- 
ters regarding  the  faith,  which 
are  preserved  to  this  day  in  the 
archives. 


in  Chalcedon.  A  confession  chapel,  "martyrium,"  would  have  been  too  small. 
There  were  probably  six  hundred  bishops  in  attendance.  The  number  of  those  who 
accepted  its  decisions  afterwards  cannot  be  estimated.  About  twenty  sessions  were 
held  during  the  twenty-four  days  of  its  duration.  At  one  of  these  sessions  the  emperor 
and  empress  were  present  and  made  public  profession  of  the  imperial  creed.  At  the 
emperor's  urgent  behest  the  bishops  drew  up  a  declaration  of  orthodox  doctrine,  basing 
it  to  a  large  extent  upon  Leo's  famous  letter  written  two  years  earlier  to  the  bishop 
Flavianus  and  known  as  the  Tome.  It  contained  an  exposition,  drawn  from  Tertullian, 
of  the  dual  nature  of  Christ.  Marcian  then  required  of  Leo  a  confirmation  of  the  dogma 
as  set  forth  by  the  council  and  Leo  gave  it.  Jaffe,  Regesia,  vol.  I,  p.  62,  423.  Duchesne, 
Lib.  Font.,  vol.  I,  p.  239,  n.  2. 


lOO 


LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 


Roman     church 

on     account    of 

the      Eutychian 

and      Nestorian 

heresies      which 

were  condemned 

in  his  time, 
likewise  a  decretal,  which  he  sent 
about  and  circulated  throughout 
the  whole  world.^ 

He  confirmed  the  synod  of  Chalcedon  in  many  letters :  1 2 
letters  to  Marcian,  13  letters  to  Leo  Augustus,  9  letters  to  Fla- 
vianus,  the  bishop,  18  letters  to  the  bishops  of  the  East,  all  of  which 
confirmed  the  faith  of  the  synod.^ 


He  replaced  all  the  conse- 
crated silver  vessels  in  all  the 
parish  churches  after  the  Vandal 
devastation.^ 

*  *  *  * 

He  repaired  the  basilica  of 
blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,^  and 
restored  the  vaulting  of  blessed 
Paul  after  the  fire  from  God.^ 


He  replaced  the  vessels  of 
the  Roman  church  after  the 
Vandal  war. 


*  4 


He  made  the  vaulting  and  dec- 
orated the  basilica  of  blessed 
Peter  and  repaired  the  basiUca 
of  Paul,  the  apostle. 


1  It  is  impossible  to  identify  this  decretal.  Leo  wrote  several  of  importance,  ad- 
dressed to  bishops  in  different  countries,  but  no  single  one,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  with 
such  wide  application  as  to  be  described  by  the  phrase  here  used,  unless  it  be  the  Tome 
already  mentioned.  In  453  that  was  being  read  in  Greek  by  the  monks  of  Palestine. 
Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  70,  500. 

2  The  Regesta  of  Jaffe  enumerates  in  all  150  letters  of  Leo,  of  which  17  are  addressed 
to  Marcian,  8  to  the  emperor  Leo  and  7  to  Flavianus,  bishop  of  Constantinople,  the 
last,  however,  anterior  to  the  Council  of  Chalcedon.  There  are  13  more  letters  to  the 
bishops  of  Constantinople  after  Flavianus  and  38  to  other  Eastern  bishops  at  Alexan- 
dria, Antioch,  Jerusalem,  Thessalonica,  etc.  Our  author  evidently  knew  something 
of  the  extent  of  the  correspondence.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  vol.  I,  p.  cxxxii. 

^The  sack  of  Rome  by  Genseric  in  455.  See  Gregorovius,  History  of  Rome,  tx. 
Hamilton,  vol.  I,  ch.  VI. 

*  Short  list  of  vessels  replaced  in  the  basilicas  of  Peter,  Paul  and  John. 

^  The  mosaic  on  the  facade  of  old  St.  Peter's  bore  a  dedicatory  inscription  com- 
memorating a  restoration  by  the  praetorian  prefect  Marinianus  and  his  wife  Anastasia 
at  the  request  of  Leo.      Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  cxxvii,  n.  4. 

®  The  roof  of  the  basilica  of  St.  Paul  had  fallen  in,  destroyed  perhaps  by  lightning. 


LEO   I  loi 

He  made  likewise  the  vaulting  in  the  basilica  of  Constantine.^ 

He  built  also  a  basilica  to  the  blessed  Cornehus,  bishop  and 
martyr,  near  the  cemetery  of  Calhstus  on  the  Via  Appia.- 

He,  for  the  sake  of  the  Roman  name,  undertook  an  embassy 
and  went  to  meet  the  king  of  the  Huns,  Atthela  by  name,  and 
dehvered  all  Italy  from  the  peril  of  the  enemy .^ 

He  founded  a  monastery  at  the  church  of  blessed  Peter,  the 
apostle, 

which   is    called  the    monastery 
of  the  holy  John  and  Paul/ 


He  ordained  that  during  the  performance  of  mass  ''sanctum 
sacrificium,"  etc.  should  be  repeated.^ 

He  ordained  that  a  nun  should  not  receive  the  blessing  of  the 
veiled  head  until  she  had  been  tried  in  virginity 

40  years.^  I  60  years. 

The  inscription  recording  the  fact  of  its  ruin  and  of  its  reparation  by  two  priests, 
Felix  and  Adeodatus,  during  the  pontificate  of  Leo  is  preserved  in  the  museum  of  the 
basilica.  The  mosaic  of  the  triumphal  arch  was  also  a  part  of  Leo's  reconstruction. 
Though  badly  restored,  the  design  may  still  be  made  out  and  the  inscription  which 
testifies  to  assistance  from  the  empress  Galla  Placidia.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  240,  n.  7. 

1  Parts  of  the  apsidal  mosaic  of  the  Lateran  basilica,  the  bust  of  Christ  in  the  clouds 
and  the  Earthly  Paradise  at  the  foot,  are  perhaps  work  of  the  early  fifth  century. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  241,  n.  8.     Frothingham,  Monuments,  pp.  336-338. 

2  No  trace  of  this  basilica  now  remains.  It  is  mentioned  in  two  itineraries  of  the 
seventh  century  but  not  later.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  241,  n.  9. 

3  The  well-known  story  of  the  meeting  with  Attila  in  452.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I, 
p.  68;    Gregorovius,  History  of  Rome,  vol.  I,  pp.  228-230;   Hodgkin,  Italy  and  her 

Invaders,  vol.  II. 

*  The  first  monastery  to  be  attached  to  the  Vatican  basilica.  By  732  there  were 
two  others.  They  have  all,  of  course,  disappeared  now,  along  with  every  other  early 
and  medieval  structure  on  that  site.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  241,  n.  11. 

^  I.e.  in  the  eucharistic  formula  ending,  "quod  tibi  obtuht  summus  sacerdos  tuus 
Melchisedech  sanctum  sacrificium,  immaculatam  hostiam."  Leo  seems  to  have  added 
the  words,  "  sanctum  sacrificium,  im.maculatam  hostiam,"  to  the  reference  to  Mel- 
chisedech's  offering  of  bread  and  wine,  instigated  thereto  possibly  by  the  aversion  of 
the  Manicheans  to  wine  and  in  particular  to  its  use  in  a  sacred  liturgy.  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  241,  n.  12. 

6  We  have  no  early,  authentic  document  that  specifies  the  age  required  at  Rome  of  a 
woman  who  wished  to  assume  the  veil  of  a  consecrated  virgin.  In  Africa,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifth  century,  she  was  ordinarily  expected  to  be  at  least  twenty-five  years  old. 
The  Council  of  Saragossa,  380  a.d.,  fixed  forty  as  the  minimum  age  in  Spain.  An 
edict  of  the  emperor  Marjorian  in  the  time  of  Leo  confirmed  the  act  of  the  Spanish 


I02  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  appointed  guards  from  the  Roman  clergy  over  the  tombs 
of  the  apostles;    they  are  called  the  "cubicularii."  ^ 

*^  ^  ^  ^  4e  sts  5I;    o 

V  •!»  *T*  *7*  "^  *^  "l*     ^ 

He  also  was  buried 

in   the    basihca   of    the  blessed 
Peter,3 

April  II. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  7  days. 


in    the  church  of  blessed  Peter 
the  apostle, 


XLVIII.   Hilary  (461-468) 
Hilary,  by  nationahty  a  Sardinian,  son  of 

Crispinianus,  |  Crispinus, 

occupied  the  see  6  years,  3  months  and  10  days. 
He  made  a  decretal  and 

sent  it  I  disseminated  it 

throughout  all  the  East  ^  and  letters  concerning  the  catholic 

and  apostolic  | 

faith  and  he  confirmed  the  three  synods  of  Nicea,  Ephesus  and 
Chalcedon  '^  and  the  Tome  of  the  holy 

bishop  I  archbishop 

church.  None  of  the  surviving  decretals  of  Leo  or  his  successors  through  the  fifth 
and  sixth  centuries  alludes  to  the  subject  of  age.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  241,  n.  13. 
Mansi,  Amplissima  Colleclio,  vol.  IV,  p.  508.. 

1  An  inscription  dated  533  or  544  names  one  Decius,  "cubicularius  of  the  basilica 
of  St.  Paul;"  another  of  the  same  period  mentions  a  "cubicularius  of  blessed  Peter." 
The  confessions  before  the  tombs  of  the  apostles  were  being  filled  with  gifts  of  such 
price  as  to  demand  special  warders  or  custodians.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  241,  n.  14. 

2  List  of  ordinations. 

3  Leo  was  the  first  of  the  popes  to  be  buried  in  the  portico  of  St.  Peter's.  His 
remains  were  brought  within  the  sanctuary  by  Sergius  I  in  688  and  now  lie  with  those 
of  Leo  II,  Leo  III  and  Leo  IV  in  the  left  transept  of  the  modern  cathedral.  Lanciani, 
Pagan  and  Christian  Rome,  pp.  221-223. 

*  No  documents  survive  to  prove  Hilary's  correspondence  with  the  Eastern  branch 
of  the  church,  but  it  is  not  unlikely  that  they  once  existed.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont., 
vol.  I,  p.  cxxxii. 

*  Duchesne  quotes  this  passage  in  support  of  his  contention  that  the  Liber  Pon- 
tificalis  was  first  compiled  in  the  early  sixth  century.  See  supra,  Introduction,  pp.  xi-xii. 
Until  the  time  of  Pope  Vigilius,  537-555,  the  Roman  church  recognized  only  the  three 
ecumenical  councils  here  enumerated;  afterward  it  acknowledged  also  the  Council 
of  Constantinople  of  the  year  381.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  xxxviii. 


HILARY  103 

Leo  and  he  condemned  Eutyches  and  Nestorius  and  all  their  dis- 
ciples and  all  heresies ;  and  he  maintained 

the  supremacy  [  the  authority 

and  the  headship  of  the  holy  catholic  and  apostolic  see. 

He  made  a  regulation  for  the  church  in  the  basilica  of  the  holy 
Mary  during  the  consulship  of  Basiliscus  and  Hermenericus, 
November  16.^ 

He  built  3  oratories  in  the  baptistery  of  the  basilica  of  Con- 
stantine,  one  to  holy  John  the  Baptist,  one  to  holy  John  the 
Evangelist,  and  one  to  the  Holy  Cross,  all  decked  with  silver  and 
precious  stones ;  ^ 

*  *  *  *  =f:  *  *  *3 

And  in  the  city  of  Rome  he  provided  vessels  for  service  to  be 
carried  about  to  the  appointed  stations  :  ^ 
a  golden  beaker 

for  the  station,  |  with  handles, 

1  The  Roman  synod  of  465.  The  date  here  given  is  exact.  A  letter  of  Pope 
Hilary,  still  in  existence,  speaks  of  the  bishops  as  in  session  on  November  19.  Jaffe, 
Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  76.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  245,  n.  2. 

2  The  first  two  oratories  are  still  to  be  seen  opening  out  of  the  Lateran  baptistery. 
The  former  preserves  the  bronze  doors  of  Hilary  with  the  dedicatory  inscription  above 
them,  "HILARUS  EPISCOPUS  SANCT^  PLEBI  DEI,"  the  latter  Hilary's  vault 
mosaics.     The  oratory  of  the  Holy  Cross  was  torn  down  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

^  List  of  rich  gifts  to  the  three  oratories,  especially  to  that  of  the  Holy  Cross,  which 
he  beautified  with  a  court,  portico  and  elaborate  fountain.  Lists  of  gifts  to  the  basilicas 
of  the  Lateran,  Peter,  Paul  and  Lawrence. 

^  As  early  as  the  fifth  century  it  was  customary  for  the  clergy  of  the  whole  Roman 
church  to  assemble  from  time  to  time  in  one  basilica  or  another  for  a  stational  mass, 
tha  t  is,  a  mass  where  the  entire  city  church  was  represented  from  bishop  to  laity.  This 
custom,  like  the  distribution  of  the  leaven  {supra,  p.  41  and  n.  2),  was  apparently 
intended  to  typify  the  unity  of  the  Christian  fellowship.  The  pope  was  the  chief 
celebrant  at  the  altar  but  the  priests  of  the  twenty-five  parish  churches  stood  about 
and  assisted  both  in  the  consecration  service  and  in  the  distribution  of  the  blessed 
elements  to  the  people.  Hilary  provided  a  special  set  of  altar  vessels  to  be  used  at  these 
stational  masses,  to  be  stored  during  the  intervals  at  the  Lateran  or  at  Santa  Maria 
Maggiore.  Gregory  I  made  out  a  definite  schedule  of  the  churches  at  which  these 
stations  should  be  held,  including  the  parish  churches  and  certain  oratories  and  ceme- 
teries. For  an  eighth  century  ritual  for  the  observance  of  the  stational  mass  see  Atch- 
ley,  Ordo  Romanus  Primus,  p.  32  and  passim.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  246,  n.  9.  Cam- 
bridge Med.  Hist.,  vol.  I,  pp.  158-159. 


I04  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

weighing  8  lbs. ; 

25 

silver  I 

beakers  for  the  parish  priests,  weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 
25  silver  pitchers,  weighing  each  10  lbs. ; 
50  silver  chaHces  for  service,  weighing  each  2  lbs. 

which  he  appointed  to  be  kept 


in  the  church  of  holy  Mary. 


All  these  he  appointed  to  be 
kept  in  the  basilica  of  Constan- 
tine  or  in  that  of  holy  Mary. 

He  built  a  monastery  near  the  church  of  the  holy  Lawrence  ^ 
and  a  bath  I 

and  another  in  the  open  air, 
and  a  villa 

to  the  holy  Stephen.  He  built 
also  an  oratory  of  the  holy  Ste- 
phen in  the  Lateran  baptistery. 

He  erected  also  two  libraries  in  the  same  place,  likewise  a 
monastery  within  the  city  of  Rome  "ad  Luna." 

*  :1c  *  *  *  *  *  *2 


He  also  was  buried  near  the  holy  Lawrence  in  a  crypt  near  the 
body  of  the  blessed  bishop  Xystus.^ 
And  the  bishopric  was  empty  10  days. 

1  This  and  the  following  buildings  have  now  all  disappeared.  Hilary's  monastery 
of  St.  Lawrence  may  have  stood  upon  the  site  of  the  present  convent.  One  of  his  two 
baths  was  evidently  enclosed  and  heated  like  the  usual  Roman  bath,  the  other  was 
an  uncovered  basin  of  cold  water.  The  villa  or  ' '  pretorium ' '  may  have  been  an  hospice 
for  pilgrims  or  a  papal  residence.  If  the  succeeding  sentence  in  the  text  is  an  interpola- 
tion, as  seems  probable,  the  two  libraries  were  attached  to  the  villa.  Hilary's  successor, 
Simplicius,  built  a  church  to  St.  Stephen  in  the  neighborhood  (infra,  p.  105),  and  for 
that  reason  a  later  editor  may  have  ascribed  to  Hilary  a  shrine  to  the  same  saint.  The 
location  of  the  monastery  within  the  city  is  unknown.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  247, 

nn.  10,  II,  12. 

2  List  of  ordinations. 

3  On  his  burial  place  see  supra,  p.  89,  n.  3, 


SIMPLICIUS 


105 


XLIX.   SiMPLicius  (468-483) 

Simplicius,  by  nationality  a  Tiburtine,\son  of 
Castinus,  I  Castorius, 

occupied  the  see  15  years, 
I  month  and  7  days.  1  and  7  days. 

He  dedicated  the  basihca  of  the  holy  Stephen  on  the  Celian 
Hill  in  the  city  of  Rome  ^  and  the  basilica  of  the  blessed  apostle 
Andrew  near  the  basihca  of  the  holy  Mary  ^  and  another  basilica 
of  the  holy  Stephen  near  the  basihca  of  the  holy  Lawrence  '^  and 
another  basihca  of  the  blessed  martyr  Bibiana  within  the  city  of 
Rome  beside  the  Licinian  palace  where  her  body  rests.^ 

He  appointed  weeks  for  holy  Peter,  the  apostle,  and  for  holy 
Paul,  the  apostle,  and  for  holy  Lawrence,  the  martyr,  when  priests 
should  be  in  attendance 


to  administer  baptism  and  pen- 
ance to  those  who  sought  them, 


for   administering   penance    and 
baptism, 


1  I.e.  from  Tivoli. 

2  The  enigmatical,  round  church  now  called  San  Stefano  Rotondo.  It  is  still  a 
problem  whether  it  was  built  originally  for  pagan  or  for  Christian  uses. 

3  Later  known  as  Sant'  Andrea  in  Catabarbara.  Simplicius  took  a  secular  hall, 
erected  by  the  consul  Junius  Bassus  during  the  reign  of  Constantine  and  adorned 
richly  with  scenes  from  Roman  mythology  and  history,  and  transformed  it  into  a 
basilica  by  throwing  out  an  apse  on  the  end  opposite  the  entrance  and  decorating  it 
with  a  mosaic  of  Christ  and  six  apostles.  The  structure  fell  into  ruin  and  was  destroyed 
in  the  seventeenth  century.  It  stood  near  Santa  Maria  Maggiore  on  land  now  owned 
by  the  convent  of  Sant'  Antonio.  Duchesne,  Lih.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  250,  n.  2.  This  is  the 
first  mention  of  a  pubHc  building  appropriated  by  the  church.  In  the  turmoU  of  the 
period  of  Anthemius,  Ricimer  and  Odoacer  any  one  was  free  to  take  possession  of  the 
decaying,  civil  monuments. 

*  This  basilica  also  has  been  torn  down,  but  there  are  remnants  of  an  ancient  oratory 
with  three  apses  a  little  to  the  southeast  of  San  Lorenzo,  near  the  stairs  by  which 
one  climbs  to  the  upper  part  of   the  modern  cemetery.       Duchesne,   op.  cit.,  p. 

250,  n.  3. 

5  The  original  church  of  Santa  Bibiana  was  constructed  perhaps  out  of  one  of  the 
pleasure  houses  which  decked  the  gardens  of  the  emperor  Gallienus.  The  emperor's 
full  name  was  Publius  Licinius  Gallienus;  hence  the  title  applied  to  his  palace.  No 
vestige  of  Simplicius'  church  is  visible  in  the  present  basilica.  Duchesne,  op.  at., 
p.  250,  n.  4. 


io6  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

throughout  the  3rd  district  for  the  holy  Lawrence,  the  first  district 
for  the  holy  Paul,  the  6th  and  7th  districts  for  the  holy  Peter.^ 

During  his  episcopate  a  report  was  sent  from  Greece,  from 
Acacius,  bishop  of  Constantinople,  to  the  effect  that  Peter  of  the 
city  of  Alexandria  was  a  Eutychian  heretic ;  and  a  petition  came 
from  Acacius,  the  bishop,  drawn  up  by  his  own  hand. 


At  that  time  the  church, 
that  is  the  first,  apostolic  see, 
took  action. 


Then  the  church  acted. 

Then  Simplicius, 

the  bishop  and  | 

the  head,  learned  of  it  and  condemned  Peter  of  Alexandria,  against 
whom  Acacius  charged  innumerable  crimes,  but  reserved  for  him 
an  opportunity  for  penance. 

Forthwith  Timotheus,  a  catholic,  and  Acacius  wrote  again, 
saying  that  Peter  was  Kkewise  implicated  in  the  death  of  Proterius, 
a  catholic.     Then 

the  archbishop  |  the  pope 

Simplicius  took  no  heed  and  did  not  reply  to  Acacius  but  con- 
demned Peter  until  such  time  as  he  should  do  penance.^ 

1  The  priests  of  the  three  great  basilicas  had  evidently  reached  a  point  where  they 
found  themselves  unable  to  accomplish  all  the  various  duties  connected  with  their 
offices,  e.g.  the  performance  of  sacraments  and  services  in  the  basilicas,  the  conduct 
of  funerals  and  other  services  in  the  suburban  cemeteries  attached  to  the  basilicas,  the 
administration  of  the  cemeteries  and  the  properties  belonging  to  the  basilicas,  the  care 
of  their  parishioners,  especially  during  the  troublous  years  of  poUtical  anarchy  and  social 
upheaval.  Simplicius  devised  a  plan  by  which  priests  from  the  smaller  churches  in 
the  neighborhood  should  attend  the  greater  basilicas  to  help  provide  spiritual  ministra- 
tions. In  the  twelfth  century  a  similar  system  was  still  in  vogue,  the  basilica  of  Santa 
Maria  Maggiore  also  receiving  aid  from  adjacent  priests.  At  that  time  the  pries's  of 
Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere,  Santa  Cecilia  and  San  Crisogono  in  the  seventh  ecclesi- 
astical district  and  of  San  Lorenzo  in  Damaso  and  San  Marco  in  the  sixth  officiated  at 
stated  intervals  in  the  Vatican  and  priests  of  Santa  Sabina,  Santa  Prisca,  Santa  Balbina 
and  Santi  Nereo  ed  Achilleo  in  the  first  district  in  San  Paolo.  The  Lateran  basilica 
was  assisted  by  bishops  from  the  vicinity  of  Rome.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  250,  n.  5. 

2  This  brief  and  obscure  narrative  is  an  account  of  the  part  played  by  the  pope  in 
the  events  of  the  Monophysite  insurrection  which  followed  the  Council  of  Chalcedon. 
See  supra,  pp.  97-99.     The  disciples  of  Eutyches  and  Cyril  of  Alexandria  saw  in  the 


SIMPLICIUS,    FELIX   III  107 

4c  *  *  *  *  *  *  *1 

He  was  buried 


near  the  blessed  Peter, 


in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle, 


March  2. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  6  days. 

L.   Felix  III   (483-492) 

Felix,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Fehx,  priest  of  the  parish 
church  of  Fasciola,^  occupied  the  see  8  years,  11  months  and  17 
days. 

Chalcedon  decree  another  form  of  the  Nestorian  heresy,  ascribing  a  dual  personality 
as  well  as  a  dual  nature  to  Christ,  and  broke  into  a  revolt  that  disturbed  both  church 
and  empire  for  a  century.     The  struggle  was  most  violent  in  Alexandria.     There  the 
orthodox  patriarch,  Proterius,  was  assassinated  in  457  and  for  some  years  the  Mono- 
physites  held  the  see.     The  accession  of  Emperor  Zeno  to  the  throne,  however,  in  477 
turned  the  tide   temporarily  in  favor  of   the   orthodox  party.     Peter  Mongius,  the 
heretic  patriarch,  was  deposed  by  imperial  order  and  Timotheus  Solofaciolus  installed 
in  his  stead.     Acacius,  bishop  of  Constantinople,  was  already  in  correspondence  with 
Simplicius  regarding  the  lamentable  state  of  affairs  in  Alexandria.     Timotheus  now 
also  sent  a  deputation  to  the  pope  to  complain  of  Peter's  unceasing  intrigues  against 
him  and  to  urge  Simplicius  to  use  his  influence  with  the  emperor  to  have  Peter  banished 
to  a  distance.     The  letters  of  Simplicius  to  Zeno  and  Acacius  on  the  subject  may  be 
found  summarised  in  Jaffe's  Regesta,  vol.  I,  pp.  78-79,  579-582.     He  seems  to  have  made 
no  impression  on  the  emperor,  for  Peter  remained  free  as  before  until  the  death  of 
Timotheus  in  482.     The  latter's  orthodox  successor  proved  to  be  unacceptable  to  both 
Zeno  and  Acacius  and  negotiations  were  straightway  undertaken  by  them  for  a  com- 
promise with  the  indomitable  Peter.     The  result  was  the  Henotikon  Edict  issued  by 
Zeno  in  482,  which  condemned  both  extremists,  Eutyches  and  Nestorius,  ignored  the 
Chalcedon  decree  and  attempted  to  formulate  a  doctrine  to  which  Catholics  and 
Monophysites  might  all  subscribe.     Simplicius,  learning  of  this  change  of  face,  wrote 
to  protest  against  the  restoration  of  Peter,  but  with  no  more  effect  than  before.     Neither 
Zeno  nor  Acacius  replied  to  him.     Jaffe,  ibid.,  586-589.     The  controversy  was  resumed 
by  Simplicius'  successors,  as  we  shall  see.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  251,  n.  6.     On  Zeno's 
policy  see  Cambridge  Med.  Hist.,  vol.  I,  pp.  515-520. 

1.  Lists  of  gifts  to  the  Vatican  basilica  and  of  ordinations. 

2  An  ancient  name  for  the  church  now  called  Santi  Nereo  ed  Achilleo.  Duchesne 
prints  the  text  of  several  epitaphs,  found  in  the  basilica  of  San  Paolo,  which  are  prob- 
ably those  of  the  father  of  Felix  III  and  of  the  latter's  wife  and  two  children.  Petronia, 
wife  of  Felk,  died  in  472,  while  her  husband  was  only  a  deacon.  Gregory  the  Great 
was  one  of  their  descendants.  In  his  Dialogues  he  recounts  the  vision  which  his  aunt, 
a  consecrated  virgin,  had  of  their  ancestor.  Pope  Felix,  shortly  before  her  own  death. 
Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  240,  n.  7,  253,  n.  2.  Gregory  I,  Dialogi,  IV,  16;  Migne, 
Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  77,  col.  348.  -, 


io8  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Odobacer,^  the  king,  until  the 
time  of  Theodoric, 

the  king.  | 

He  built  the  basilica  of  the  holy  Agapitus  near  the  basihca  of  the 
holy  Lawrence,  the  martyr.^ 

During  his  episcopate  there  came  another  report 

from  the  region  of  Greece  |  from  Greece 

that  Peter  of  Alexandria  had  been  reinstated 

in  the  communion  | 

by  Acacius,  bishop  of  Constantinople.^     Then  the  venerable 


pope  Felix 


Felix,   archbishop  of    the    apos- 
tolic see  of  the  city  of  Rome, 


sent  an  advocate 

by  resolution  of  the  synod  |  by  advice 

of  his  see  and  held  a  council  and  condemned  Acacius  together  with 
Peter. 

1  Odoacer.  Theodoric  did  not  take  Ravenna  until  493  but  by  491  he  was  able  to 
send  Faustus,  prince  of  the  Senate,  as  his  ambassador  to  Emperor  Zeno,  a  fact  which 
indicates  that  by  this  time  he  was  pretty  well  master  of  Rome.  Duchesne  points  out 
that  our  author  here  resumes  the  imperial  synchronisms  which  had  been  discontinued 
since  the  period  covered  by  the  Liberian  Catalogue.  He  argues  that  the  author  is 
now  competent  to  supply  them  from  memory.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  pp.  xlv,  253,  n.  4. 

2  The  situation  of  this  church  is  now  unknown,  although  it  is  mentioned  in  several 
early  itineraries.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  253,  n.  5. 

'  The  controversy  of  Simplicius  with  Acacius  of  Constantinople  over  Peter,  the 
Monophysite  bishop  of  Alexandria  {supra,  p.  106  and  n.  2),  was  promptly  taken  up 
by  Felix.  The  arrival  in  Rome  of  the  orthodox  claimant  of  the  Alexandrian  see,  John 
Talaia,  entreating  the  pope's  assistance,  was  the  signal  for  him  to  put  forth  every 
effort  to  induce  Acacius  to  abandon  Peter.  The  subsequent  events  are  told  in  the 
main  correctly  in  our  text  but  their  order  has  been  inverted.  The  first  step  in  Felix' 
proceedings  was  the  sending  in  483  of  the  envoys,  Misenus,  bishop  of  Cumae,  and 
Vitalis,  bishop  of  Truentum,  to  summon  Acacius  to  appear  before  the  pope  and  his 
council  to  answer  for  his  contumacy.  On  their  return  in  the  following  year  Felix  held  a 
synod  which  condemned  and  anathematised  Acacius  and  sent  an  advocate,  "defen- 
sorem,"  with  notification  of  the  sentence  to  Acacius,  to  the  emperor  Zeno  and  to  the 
clergy  and  people  of  Constantinople.  The  documents  may  be  found  in  Jaffe,  Re- 
gesta,  vol.  I,  pp.  80-81,  591-595,  599-603.  Cf.  Puller,  Primitive  Saints  and  the  See 
of  Rome,  pp.  376  ff. 


FELIX   III 


109 


After  3  years  another  report  came  from  the  emperor  Zeno  that 
Acacius  had  returned  and  was  penitent.^     Then  Pope  Felix 

held  a  council  by  agreement  and  | 

sent  two  bishops,  Mesenus  and  Vitalis,  so  that  if  they  found  Aca- 
cius to  be  a  confederate  of  Peter 

they  might  condemn  them  again    they  might  condemn  them, 
but  if  not  they  might  offer  him 
the  code  of  penance." 

But  they,  when  they  had  arrived  at 

Constantinople, 


the  city  of  Heraclea, 


the  city  of  Constan- 
tinople, 

were  corrupted  with  bribes  given  them  by  the  aforesaid  bishop 
and  they  did  not  carry  out  the  injunctions  of  the  apostolic  see.^ 
And  when  they  returned  to  Rome  to  the  apostoHc  see, 


Pope  Fehx  called  a  council  and 
held  an  inquiry  and 


at  that  time  the  venerable  pope 
Felix  called  a  synod  and  held  a 
discussion  and 

he  found  both  bishops,  that  is  Mesenus  and  Vitalis,  guilty  before 
the  court  and  corrupted  with  bribes;  and  he  expelled  Mesenus 
and  Vitahs,  the  bishops,  from  the  communion.  Then  Mesenus 
confessed  that  he  had  been  corrupted  by  a  bribe 

and  the  council  granted  him  an 
opportunity  for  penance."* 

1  This  statement  is  quite  fictitious.  It  was  perhaps  introduced  by  our  author  to 
give  ground  for  the  sending  of  Misenus  and  Vitalis. 

2  Misenus  and  Vitalis  were  given  no  such  discretion  in  the  affair  as  this  account 
implies.  They  were  commissioned  simply  to  cite  Acacius  to  a  trial  before  the  pope. 
A  code  of  penance,  "libellus  paenitentije,"  was,  however,  in  existence  long  before  this 
time.  The  African  synods  of  251  and  255  referred  to  a  "libellus,"  where  the  divers 
penalties  for  sins  were  written  down.  Schmitz,  Die  Bussbucher  und  die  Bussdisciplin 
der  Kirche,  vol.  I,  pp.  17,  45,  107. 

3  In  the  documents  pubhshed  by  Jaffe  {supra,  p.  108,  n.  3),  the  pope  accuses  his 
envoys  of  disobedience  to  instructions  in  communicating  with  the  heretical  party,  in 
acknowledging  the  authority  of  Peter  and  in  accepting  bribes. 

*  Misenus  and  Vitalis  were  both  deposed  and  excommunicated.  Misenus  was 
pardoned  in  after  years  by  Pope  Gelasius  but  Vitalis  died  before  that  time.  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  254,  nn.  12  and  13. 


no  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

This  took  place  in  the  time  of  Odobacer,  the  king. 

5jS  'K  'p  •!»  'I*  •!»  "l*  ^    1 

He  was  buried 


in    the    church    of    the    blessed 
Paul.- 


in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Paul, 
the  apostle. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  5  days. 

And  after  his  death  a  regulation  was  made  by  the  priests  and 
deacons  for  the  whole  church 

that  no  one  should  ever  pre- 
sume to  show  himself  hasty  in 
a  matter  which  must  sometime 
come  up  for  examination.^ 


LI.    Gelasius  (492-496) 

Gelasius,  by  nationality  an  African,  son  of  Valerius,  occupied 
the  see  4  years,  8  months  and  18  days.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time 
of  Theodoric,  the  king,  and  Zeno  Augustus.^ 

In  his  time  was  found  the  church 
of  the  holy  Angel  on  Mount 
Garganus.^ 

1  List  of  ordinations. 

2  Felix  III  is  the  only  pope  buried  at  San  Paolo.  He  may  have  chosen  the  spot 
in  order  to  lie  with  his  family.     Supra,  p.  107,  n.  2. 

^  There  is  no  other  record  of  any  action  by  the  clergy  during  the  interval  between 
Felix'  death  and  the  consecration  of  Gelasius,  but  in  the  days  between  the  death  of 
Simplicius  and  the  accession  of  Felix  there  had  been  an  assembly  of  the  Senate  and  clergy 
of  Rome  in  the  mausoleum  of  Santa  Petronilla,  adjoining  the  Vatican  basilica.  There  it 
had  been  decided  that  no  pope  in  the  future  should  have  power  to  alienate  property 
belonging  to  the  church  as  a  whole.  The  decision  was  declared  null  by  the  Roman 
synod  of  502  on  account  of  the  irregularity  of  the  proceeding  but  Pope  Symmachus 
issued  a  decree  to  the  same  effect  during  the  sessions  of  the  same  synod  and  with  its 
approval.  The  obscure  clause  of  our  text  may  be  a  reference  to  the  decision  which 
was  annulled.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  254,  n.  16. 

^  The  synchronism  is  inexact.  Zeno  died  in  491  and  Anastasius  was  emperor  during 
the  pontificate  of  Gelasius. 

^  This  sentence  is  found  in  only  one  manuscript  and  is  undoubtedly  a  late  inter- 
polation. The  earliest  existing  description  of  the  miraculous  discovery  of  the  sanctuary 
of  St.  Michael  on  Monte  Gargano  dates  from  the  ninth  century,  although  it  purports 


GELASIUS 


III 


In  his  time  Manicheans  were  discovered  in  the  city  of  Rome, 
whom  he  transported  into  exile  and  whose  books  he  burned  with 
fire  before  the  doors  of  the  basihca  of  the  holy  Mary.^ 


He,  in  accordance  with  a  de- 
cree of  the  synod,  after  the  laws 
of  penance  had  been  fulfilled, 
reinstated  the  purified  bishop 
Mesenus  with  weeping  and  re- 
stored him  to  his  church.  This 
Mesenus  had  sinned  in  the  mat- 
ter of  Acacius  and  Peter.^ 


He,  in  accordance  with  a  syn- 
odical  decree,  reinstated  Me- 
senus, the  bishop,  in  the  com- 
munion and  restored  him  to  his 
church,  after  the  laws  of  pen- 
ance had  been  fulfilled  and  Me- 
senus was  purified  and  received 
again. 


He  was  a  lover 
of  the  clergy  and 

of  the  poor  ^  and  he  increased  the  clergy. 

He  deHvered  the  city  of  Rome  from  the  peril  of  famine.'' 

to  be  taken  from  a  "libellus"  or  record  contained  in  the  shrine  itself.  Waitz, 
Scriptores  Rcrum  Langobardkarum,  p.  541  •  Paul  the  Deacon  mentions  an  oracle  of  the 
holy  archangel  on  Monte  Gargano  which  was  plundered  by  the  Greeks  in  the  seventh 
century.  History  of  the  Lombards,  tr.  Foulke,  Univ.  of  Peiiii.  Transls.  and  Reprints, 
New  Series,  vol.  3,  p.  200. 

1  There  is  no  other  reference  in  contemporary  historians  to  the  episode  here  nar- 
rated. If  Duchesne's  theory  as  to  the  date  of  the  composition  of  the  first  part  of  the 
Lib.  Pont,  be  correct,  the  author  may  either  have  witnessed  the  burning  of  the  Mani- 
chean  books  or  have  heard  of  it  from  witnesses.     Supra,  Introduction;  p.  xi. 

2  We  still  possess  the  report  of  this  synod,  held  in  March,  495,  and  two  "libelli"  or 
declarations  of  Misenus  which  he  presented  to  the  assemblage,  prostrating  himself  to  the 
earth.  On  Misenus  see  supra,  p.  108,  n.  3  ;  p.  109  and  nn.  1-4.  It  is  a  satisfaction  to 
find  that  in  4Q9  Misenus  attended  another  council  at  Rome  once  more  in  his  capacity  of 
bishop  of  Cums.    Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  256,  n.  4.     Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  88. 

3  Dionysius  Exiguus,  who  knew  of  Gelasius  through  the  priests  he  had  trained, 
writes  of  him  that  he  spent  all  his  substance  on  the  poor  and  died  himself  in  poverty, 
that  he  looked  upon  his  office  as  an  opportunity  to  serve  rather  than  to  rule.  Quoted 
by  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  256,  n.  5. 

4  About  494  Gelasius  wrote  a  tractate  in  denunciation  of  the  Lupercalia  and  the 
party  that  wished  to  revive  the  celebration  of  the  pagan  rites.  In  the  course  of  it  he 
asked,  "As  for  your  Castors,  whose  worship  you  refuse  to  abandon,  why  did  they  not 
give  you  tranquil  seas  so  that  the  ships  might  reach  here  with  grain  in  winter  and  the 
city  suffer  less  with  want  ?  "  He  wrote  also  to  Firmina,  a  lady  of  rank,  to  request  that 
lands  belonging  to  St.  Peter,  which  had  been  seized  by  the  barbarian  and  Roman  armies, 
should  be  restored  to  the  church.  They  were  needed,  he  said,  for  the  support  of  the 
hungry  multitudes  who  were  flocking  to  Rome  from  the  provinces  which  had  been 
devastated  by  the  wars.     Jaffe,  Regesta,  pp.  89,  90,  672,  685. 


112  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  made  a  regulation  for  the  whole  church.^  In  his  time  an- 
other report  came  from  Greece  to  the  effect  that  many  crimes  and 
murders  were  being  committed  through  Peter  and  Acacius 

in  Constantinople.^  | 

At  that  time  John  of  Alexandria, 
the  catholic  bishop,  | 

fled  and  came  to  Rome  to  the  apostolic  see 


Then    the    blessed    Gelasius    re- 
ceived John 


and  the  blessed  Gelasius  re- 
ceived him  with  honor  and  be- 
stowed upon  him  also  a  second 
bishopric.^  Then  he  held  a 
synod  and  sent  throughout  the 
countries  of  the  East 

and  he  sent  again  and  condemned  eternally  Acacius  and  Peter,^ 


if  they  should  not  do  penance  in 
accordance  with  the  code  and 
seek  for  absolution. 


if  they  did  not  repent ;  notwith- 
standing he  allowed  them  op- 
portunity for  satisfying  the 
apostolic  see  and  displayed  the 
clemency  of  the  first  see  of  the 
church. 

He  dedicated  the  basilica  of  the  holy  Euphemia,  the  martyr, 
in  the  town  of  Tibur,^ 

^  There  exists  a  comprehensive  decretal  by  Gelasius  in  twenty-eight  chapters  on  a 
variety  of  questions  of  church  administration  and  discipline  addressed  to  "all  the  bish- 
ops in  Lucania,  Bruttium  and  Sicily."     Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  85,  636. 

^  Both  Acacius  and  Peter  died  before  the  accession  of  Gelasius.  The  reference 
here  must  be  to  parties  of  their  adherents,  unless  the  author  is  simply  confusing  his 
chronology,  as  he  does  below.  On  this  whole  controversy  see  supra,  pp.  106-109  and 
notes.     Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  256,  n.  8. 

^  John  Talaia,  orthodox  bishop  of  Alexandria,  had  taken  refuge  in  Rome  ten  years 
earlier,  in  482,  just  as  Felix  III  became  pope.  Supra,  p.  loS,  n.  3.  Gelasius  continued 
to  support  John's  cause. 

^  Gelasius  held  three  synods  at  Rome,  no  one  of  which,  so  far  as  we  know,  concerned 
itself  particularly  with  Acacius  and  Peter,  whose  case  was  regarded  as  settled.  Gelasius 
instead  wrote  letters  to  various  Eastern  prelates,  condemning  all  who  did  not  concur 
in  the  sentence  passed  by  his  predecessor.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  pp.  83-88,  620,  622,  638, 
639,  664,  665,  669.  The  clauses  in  our  text,  granting  opportunity  for  penance,  are 
obviously  interpolations,  Acacius  and  Peter  being  both  dead. 

^  The  basilica  of  St.  Euphemia  at  Tivoli  disappeared  early.  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
p.  256,  n.  II. 


GELASIUS  113 

twenty  miles  from  the  city, 

and  other  basihcas  |  He  dedicated  also  the  basilica 

of  the  holy  Nicander,  Eleutherius 

and  Andrew  | 

on  the  Via  Lavicana  in  the  village  Pertusa.^ 

He  built  also  the  |  and  another 

basihca   of    Holy   Mary  on    the   Via   Laurentina   in   the    estate 
Crispinis, 

twenty  miles  from  the  city.^  | 


He  wrote  treatises  and 
hymns,  as  did  blessed  Ambrose, 
the  bishop,  and  books  against 
Eutyches  and  Nestorius,  which 
to-day  are  kept  preserved  in  the 
hbrary  of  the  archives  of  the 
church. 


He  wrote  5  books  against 
Nestorius  and  Eutyches ;  he 
wrote  also  hymns  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  blessed  Ambrose ; 
likewise  two  books  against  Arius  ; 
he  wrote  also  prefaces  to  the 
sacraments  and  prayers  in  care- 
ful language  and  many  eloquent 
epistles  regarding  the  faith.^ 

During  his  bishopric  the  clergy  waxed  greater. 
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *< 

I  Sergius  I,  at  the  end  of  the  seventh  century,  is  said  to  have  rebuilt  an  oratory  to 
St.  Andrew  on  the  Via  Labicana.  It  was  perhaps  the  basihca  or  group  of  basilicas 
mentioned  here.     The  site  is  now  lost.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  256,  n.  12. 

^  This  church  also  is  now  unknown. 

'  The  hymns  of  Gelasius  have  all  been  lost,  as  also  his  refutations  of  Arianism. 
Jaffe  lists  among  his  writings  one  treatise  on  the  dual  nature  of  Christ  "against  Eutyches 
and  Nestorius."  Regesla,  p.  89,  670.  The  prefaces  and  prayers  were  evidently  parts 
of  a  liturgy.  In  the  ninth  century  the  Liber  Sacramenlonim  or  office  of  Gelasius  was 
distinguished  from  that  of  St.  Gregory.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  257,  n.  14.  Jaffe 
enumerates  over  one  hundred  letters  of  Gelasius  dealing  with  matters  of  doctrine, 
ecclesiastical  government,  morality  and  the  temporal  needs  of  his  flock.  Op.  cit.,  pp. 
83~95)  619-743.  One  of  the  most  striking  was  written  in  494  to  the  emperor  Anastasius, 
setting  forth  the  superiority  of  the  priestly  to  the  civil  power.  "There  are  two  powers 
which  for  the  most  part  control  this  world,  the  sacred  authority  of  priests  and  the 
might  of  kings.  Of  these  two  the  office  of  the  priests  is  the  greater,  inasmuch  as  they 
must  give  account  to  the  Lord  even  for  the  kings  before  the  divine  judgment.  .  .  . 
You  know,  therefore,  that  you  are  dependent  upon  their  decision  and  that  they  will 
not  submit  to  your  will."     Jaffe,  op.  cit.,  p.  85,  632.     Ayer,  Source  Book,  p.  531. 

*  List  of  ordinations. 


114  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  also  v/as  buried 


in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle, 


in  the  church  of  blessed  Peter, 

November  21. 
And 

after  his  death 

the  bishopric  was  empty  7  days. 


LII.   Anastasius  II  (496-498) 

Anastasius,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Peter,^  from  the 
5th  district, 

Tauma,  | 

of  the  Caput  Tauri,-  occupied  the  see  i  year,  11  months  and  24 
days.     He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Theodoric,  the  king. 

He  set  up  the  confession  of  blessed  Lawrence,  the  martyr,  of 
silver, 

weighing  80  lbs.  |  which  weighed  100  lbs. 

At  that  time  many  of  the  clergy  and  of  the  priests  withdrew 
themselves  from  communion  with  him,  because  without  consulting 

the  priests  or  the  bishops  or  the    them 
clergy  of  all  the  catholic  church 

he  had  communicated  with  a  deacon  of  Thessalonica,  Photinus  by 
name,  who  was  of  the  party  of  Acacius,  and  because  he  desired 
secretly  to  reinstate  Acacius  and  could  not.  And  he  was  struck 
dead  by  divine  will.^ 

1  The  epitaph  of  Anastasius  states  that  his  father  was  a  priest.  Duchesne,  Lib. 
Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  25Q,  n.  5. 

2  For  this  district  see  supra,  p.  10,  n.  3. 

3  This  notice  of  Anastasius  is  bitter  with  the  feeling  engendered  by  the  controversy 
with  the  Eastern  church,  which  had  begun  under  Pope  Simplicius  and  which  under  Felix 
III  and  Gelasius  had  resulted  in  an  open  schism  between  the  Western  branch,  led  by 
Rome,  and  the  Eastern  patriarchates  and  the  emperor.  See  supra,  pp.  106, 108,  100, 112. 
Anastasius  IT,  upon  his  accession,  sent  two  bishops  to  the  emperor  to  beg  that  the  seam- 
less tunic  of  the  Savior  be  no  longer  rent  for  the  sake  of  a  single  dead  man.  He  did 
not  propose  to  retract  the  censure  of  Felix  III  upon  Acacius  and  his  tenets  but  suggested 


ANASTASIUS    II,    SYMMACHUS  115 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *i 

And  he  also  was  buried 


in  the  church  of  blessed  Peter  in 
the  Vatican,^ 


in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle, 


November  19. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  4  days. 


LIII.    Symmachus  (498-514) 

Symmachus,  by  nationahty  a  Sardinian,^  son  of  Fortunatus, 
occupied  the  see  15  years,  7  months  and  27  days. 
He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Theodoric, 

the  heretic,  ^  I  the  king, 

and  Anastasius  Augustus, 

the  Eutychian,  1 

from  November  22  to  July  19. 

that  Acacius'  name  be  allowed'to  drop  and  assured  the  emperor  that  the  baptisms  and 
ordinations  performed  by  Acacius  and  his  followers  would  be  accepted  as  valid  at  Rome. 
Jaffe,  Regcsla,  vol.  I,  p.  95,  744.  These  overtures  produced  an  effect  at  least  upon  the 
bishop  of  Thessalonica,  who  thereupon  had  the  letter  of  Gelasius  denouncing  Acacius 
read  publicly  in  the  churches  of  his  diocese  and  who  dispatched  a  deacon,  Photinus,  to 
renew  in  his  behalf  communion  with  the  Roman  see.  Jaffe,  ibid.,  746.  Unfortunately 
a  zealot  party  at  Rome  disapproved  of  the  pope's  conciliatory  attitude  and  ascribed  to 
him,  as  in  the  text,  a  design  to  abandon  the  principles  and  to  rescind  the  acts  of  Felix  III 
and  Gelasius.  Thus  arose  a  schism  within  the  Roman  church  itself  which  was  to 
break  out  violently  after  Anastasius'  death.  The  fact  that  Anastasius  died  soon  after 
his  resumption  of  relations  with  the  church  at  Thessalonica  was  looked  upon  by  his 
opponents  as  a  clear  proof  of  divine  displeasure.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  pp.  xliii  and 
258,  n.  3. 

1  List  of  ordinations. 

2  Duchesne  gives  his  epitaph.     Op.  cit.,  p.  259,  n.  5. 

3  Symmachus  said  of  himself  that  he  came  out  of  paganism  and  learned  the  catholic 
faith  at  Rome.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  263,  n.  i. 

*  Mommsen  argues  that  if  the  Lib.  Pont,  had  been  composed  early  in  the  sixth 
century  under  Ostrogothic  rule,  as  Duchesne  maintains  that  it  was,  the  derogatory 
epithet  of  "heretic"  could  not  have  been  applied  to  Theodoric.  Mommsen,  Lib. 
Pont.,  p.  xvii.  On  Theodoric's  relations  with  the  Roman  Church  see  Gregorovius, 
History  of  Rome,  tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  3ii~333- 


ii6  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

He  loved  the  clergy  and  the 
poor ;  he  was  a  good  man  and 
sagacious,  kindly  and  courteous, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  ordination 
Laurentius  also  was  ordained  be- 
cause of  a  dissension  in  the 
bishopric,^ 

Symmachus  in  the  basilica  of  Constantine  and  Laurentius  in  the 
basihca  of  the  blessed  Mary. 
Wherefore 


He  was  ordained  on  the  same 
day  with  Laurentius  because 
there  was  a  dissension. 


one  party  of  the  clergy  and  also 
of  the  senators  was  divided  from 
the  rest 


the  clergy  was  separated  into 
parties  and  the  senate  also  was 
divided 


and   some   supported   Symmachus   and   others  Laurentius.     And 
after  the  dissension  had  arisen 

they  all  alike  |  the  parties 

decided  that  both  factions  should  betake  themselves  to  Ravenna 
for  the  judgment  of  Theodoric.-     And 


when  they  had  come 


when  they  had  both   arrived  at 
Ravenna 


they  received  this  righteous  judgment,  that  he  who  had  been  first 
ordained  or  who 

was  supported  by  |  was  known  to  have 

the  largest  party  should  occupy  the  apostoHc  see.  Thus  through 
justice  and  perception  of  the  truth  Symmachus  was  selected  and 
made  bishop.  At  that  time  Pope  Symmachus  assembled  a  synod 
and  appointed  Laurentius  bishop  of  the  town  of  Nuceria  out  of 
compassion.^ 

1  There  is  no  mention  here  of  the  theological  and  political  reasons  underlying  the 
split  in  the  Roman  church  but  the  situation  may  be  better  appreciated  if  the  reader 
recalls  the  beginning  of  discord  under  Anastasius  II.  Supra,  p.  1 1 4  and  n.  3.  Lauren- 
tius seems  to  have  been  the  candidate  of  the  party  that  desired  more  compromise  with 
the  Eastern  church. 

2  Other  versions  of  the  story  say  that  the  contending  parties  were  forced  to  accept 
the  arbitration  of  Theodoric.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  263,  n.  4. 

'  The  acts  of  the  synod  of  Italian  bishops,  held  under  the  presidency  of  Symmachus 
in  499,  have  been  preserved.     They  consist  chiefly  of  measures  to  prevent  confusion  in 


SYMMACHUS  117 

But  after  4  years  ^  some  of  the  clergy  and  some  of  the  senate, 
in  particular  Festus  and  Probinus,  full  of  zeal 

and  craft,  | 

brought  charges  against  Symmachus  and  suborned  false  witnesses 

whom  they  sent  to  King  Theodoric, 

the  heretic,  I 

at  Ravenna  to  accuse  the  blessed  Symmachus ;    and  they  recalled 

Laurentius  stealthily 

to  Rome,  I 

after  the  accusation  had  been  drawn  up  at  Rome  ;  and  they  created 

a  schism  and 

the  clergy  was  divided  again  and 
some  communicated  with  Sym- 
machus and  some  with  Lauren- 
tius. 


a    party    withdrew    itself    from 
communion  with  Symmachus.  - 


and  asked  King  Theodoric  to 
send  Peter  of  Altinum  ^  as  an 
inspector  to  the  apostolic  see. 


Then  the  senators  Festus  and  Probinus  sent  a  report  to  the  king 

and  began  to  negotiate  with  the 
king  to  send  an  inspector  to  the 
apostohc  see.  Then  the  king 
sent  Peter,  bishop  of  the  town 
of  Altinum,  although  the  canons 
forbade  it. 

future  papal  elections.     During  the  synod  Laurentius  was  appointed  bishop  of  Nocera. 
Jaffe,  Rcgesta,  vol.  I,  p.  96.     Hefele,  op.  cit.,  vol.  II,  p.  958. 

1  In  fact  early  in  501. 

2  The  first  accusation  brought  by  the  malcontents  against  Symmachus  concerned 
the  date  of  Easter.  Symmachus  had  celebrated  that  festival  in  501  on  March  25, 
following  the  old  Roman  calendar.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  97,  754.  His  adversaries  com- 
plained that  he  should  have  adopted  the  Greek  reckoning,  which  brought  the  date  to 
April  22.  Symmachus  went  to  Rimini  to  lay  his  case  before  Theodoric  and  while  there 
learned  of  other  and  graver  charges  which  were  being  preferred  against  him  :  viz., 
violation  of  chastity  and  misuse  of  church  property.  Thereupon,  without  waiting  to 
face  Theodoric,  he  fled  back  to  Rome  by  night  and  entrenched  himself  in  the  buildings  of 
the  Vatican.  The  hostile  party  took  advantage  of  his  flight  to  prevail  upon  Theodoric 
to  send  a  "visitor"  or  inspector  to  Rome  in  order  to  celebrate  Easter  at  the  proper 
season,  as  the  emperor  Honorius  had  done  at  the  time  of  the  dissension  between  Boni- 
face I  and  Eulalius.  Supra,  p.  89,  n.  4 ;  p.  90.  The  act,  however,  was  tantamount  to  a 
declaration  that  the  see  of  Rome  was  vacant  or  contested.  Symmachus  was  bound  to 
resent  it  as  a  negation  of  all  his  rights.    Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  264,  n.  8.    Jaffe,  ibid.,  p.  97. 

^  The  modern  Altino  near  Venice. 


ii8 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


Then  the  blessed  Symmachus  assembled  115  bishops  and  in  the 
synod  was  acquitted  of  the  false  accusation  and  Peter  of  Altinum, 
the  intruder  upon  the  apostohc  see,  and  Laurentius  of  Nuceria  were 
condemned,  because  during  the  hfetime  of  the  bishop  Symmachus 
they  had  invaded  his  see.^  Then  the  blessed  Symmachus  was 
reinstated  with  glory  in  the  apostohc  see  by  all  the  bishops,  priests 
and  deacons  and  all  the  clergy  and  the  people,  to  sit  as  bishop  in 
the  church  of  the  blessed  Peter. 


Then  Festus,  the  patrician, 
began  to  slaughter  in  the  city 
the  clergy  who  were  communi- 
cating with  the  blessed  Symma- 
chus ^  and  he  expelled  conse- 
crated women  from  their  dwell- 


At  that  time  Festus,  the  ex- 
consul  and  leader  of  the  senate,- 
and  Probinus,  the  exconsul,  be- 
gan to  fight  in  the  city  of  Rome 
with  other  senators,  in  particu- 
lar with   Faustus,  the  exconsul, 


1  The  Roman  synod  of  501  was  convened  to  pass  on  the  whole  situation  by  order 
of  Theodoric  and  with  the  consent  of  Symmachus.  It  held  three  sessions,  the  first 
during  the  spring  or  early  summer  at  the  church  of  Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere.  At  this 
session  Symmachus  agreed  to  appear,  waiving  the  claim  of  his  see  not  to  be  judged 
by  inferiors  and  overlooking  the  fact  that  Theodoric  had  seized  the  lands  and  buildings 
of  the  church,  leaving  him  only  St.  Peter's.  The  second  session  met  in  September  at 
the  basilica  of  Santa  Croce  in  Gerusalemme  on  the  farther  side  of  the  city.  Symma- 
chus set  out  to  cross  from  the  Vatican  but  was  attacked  by  a  band  of  enemies  on  the 
way  and  many  of  the  priests  accompanying  him  were  killed.  Thereafter  Symmachus 
remained  shut  up  in  the  Vatican  and  refused  to  attend  another  session  of  the  synod. 
Nevertheless  in  October  the  assembled  bishops  declared  that  they  could  find  no  reason 
why  he  should  not  continue  in  full  enjoyment  of  his  office  and  left  the  accusations 
against  him  to  the  judgment  of  God.  They  solemnly  condemned  both  Laurentius  and 
Peter  of  Altino,  Theodoric's  "visitor."  In  November,  502,  Symmachus  on  his  own 
initiative  called  another  synod  of  bishops,  which  proceeded  to  annul  an  irregular  decree 
forbidding  the  pope  to  alienate  church  property,  that  seems  to  have  been  employed  by 
Symmachus'  opponents  as  a  basis  for  their  charges  against  him.  Supra,  p.  no,  n.  3. 
The  synod  indeed  passed  other  ordinances  prohibiting  the  pope  to  dispose  of  rural 
property  but  allowing  him  to  sell  city  houses  which  cost  too  much  to  maintain.  In  505 
Symmachus  petitioned  Theodoric  to  compel  the  patrician  Festus,  the  instigator  of  the 
violence  which  continued  to  harass  the  city,  to  abstain  from  further  opposition  and  to 
order  Laurentius  to  leave  Rome.  Dioscorus,  a  young  deacon  from  Alexandria, 
was  able  to  persuade  Theodoric  to  take  this  step  and  Symmachus  resumed  possession 
of  all  the  churches  and  ecclesiastical  estates.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  264,  n.  10.  Jaffe, 
Rcgesta,  pp.  97-98.  Hefele,  he.  cit.  Dioscorus'  powers  of  eloquence  served  the 
Roman  church  even  more  conspicuously  later.     Infra,  pp.  127-130. 

2  Festus  was  consul  in  472,  Probinus  in  489  and  Faustus  in  490.  They  are  all 
three  mentioned  as  persons  of  high  reputation  in  a  contemporary  work  by  Ennodius. 
Opusc.  VI.     Quoted  by  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  265,  n.  12. 

3  This  passage  is  not  probably  descriptive  of  any  one  occasion  but  of  the  general 


SYMMACHUS 


119 


ings,  and  stripped  women  of 
their  clothing  and  beat  them 
with  clubs  and  he  killed  many 
priests  there, 


and.  in  their  hatred,  to  commit 
slaughter  and  murder  upon  the 
clergy  who  rightfully  commu- 
nicated with  the  blessed  Sym- 
machus  and  they  killed  with  the 
sword  publicly  those  who  were 
found  within  the  city.  Also 
they  expelled  consecrated  women 
and  virgins  from  their  convents 
and  their  dwellings  and  they 
stripped  women  of  their  clothing 
and  wounded  them  with  blows 
and  stripes ;  and  daily  they 
waged  war  against  the  church 
in  the  midst  of  the  city.  Like- 
wise they  slew  many  priests, 

among  them  Dignissimus  and  Gordianus,^  priests  of  Saint  -  Peter, 
the  apostle,  "ad  Vincula,"  and  of  Saints  John  and  Paul,  whom  they 
did  to  death  with  cudgels  and  sword ;  also  many  other  Christians, 
so  that  it  was  unsafe  for  one  of  the  clergy  to  walk  abroad  in  the  city 
by  day  or  by  night.  Only  Faustus,  the  exconsul,  fought  for  the 
church. 

After  all  this  the  blessed  Symmachus  found  Manicheans  in  the 
city  of  Rome  and  burned  with  fire  all  their  images  and  books  before 

state  of  lawlessness  and  tumult  which  lasted  during  the  years  before  Symmachus  was 
finally  and  decisively  reinstated.  The  people  as  a  whole  seem  to  have  supported 
Symmachus  but  a  party  of  the  clergy  and  a  majority  of  the  Senate  were  bitter  against 
him. 

1  The  name  of  Dignissimus  does  not  appear  on  the  list  of  parish  priests  who  took 
part  in  the  synod  of  499,  perhaps  because  the  basilica  which  he  served  was  not  counted 
among  the  parish  churches.  Gordianus  is  registered  as  priest  of  Santi  Giovanni  e 
Paolo.  He  was  the  father  of  Pope  Agapitus.  /»/rd,  p.  143  and  n.  6.  Both  undoubtedly 
perished  early  in  the  disturbances,  for  neither  was  among  the  priests  loyal  to  Sym- 
machus who  attended  the  synod  of  November,  502.     Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  265,  n.  13- 

2  From  the  sixth  century  onward  the  word  "sanctus"  was  an  official  title,  applied 
only  to  the  distinguished  dead  who  were  publicly  venerated  in  the  churches,  no  longer 
a  general  epithet  for  all  bishops  or  even,  as  in  primitive  times,  for  all  believers,  living 
or  dead.  Hereafter,  therefore,  in  our  text  the  word  will  usually  be  translated  "saint," 
instead  of  the  vaguer  "holy." 

3  The  church  of  San  Pietro  in  Vincoli  was  built  during  the  fifth  century  by  the 
empress  Eudoxia  to  receive  the  relic  of  the  chains  of  Peter. 


I20  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

the  doors  of  the  basilica  of  Constantine  and  condemned  them  to 
exile.^ 

He  was  bishop  from  the  consulship  of  Paulinus  (a.d.  498)  to 
the   consulship   of   Senator   (a.d.    514).^ 

He  built  the  basilica  of  Saint  Andrew,  the  apostle,  near  the 
basilica  of  the  blessed  Peter.^ 

*|C  *(•  •!*  ^*  *i*  *p  ^1*  ^j*  4 

Also  he  adorned  with  marbles  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter. 

The  fountain  of  blessed  Peter  with  the  square  portico  around  it 
he  beautified  with  marble  work  and  with  lambs  and  crosses  and 
palms  of  mosaic.  Likewise  he  enclosed  the  whole  atrium ;  and 
he  widened  the  steps  before  the  doors  of  the  basilica  of  Saint  Peter, 
the  apostle,  and  he  made  other  steps  of  wood  on  the  right  and  on 
the  left.  Also  he  built  palaces  in  the  same  place  on  the  right  and 
on  the  left.     Also,  below  the  steps  into  the  atrium,  outside  in  the 

^  This  event  must  have  taken  place  after  the  emperor  Anastasius  accused  Sym- 
machus  himself  of  being  a  Manichean,  probably  during  the  latter  half  of  his  pontificate. 
Symmachus  wrote  an  A  pologeticus  in  his  own  defence.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  265,  n.  14. 
Jaffe,  Rcgesla,  p.  99,  761. 

2  This  is  the  first  consular  synchronism  since  the  close  of  the  Libcrian  Catalogue. 
Synchronisms  are  given  for  the  three  following  popes  as  well.  Duchesne  regards  their 
appearance  here  as  another  proof  that  the  Lib.  Pont,  was  first  compiled  between  514 
and  530.     Op.  cit.,  p.  xlv. 

3  Symmachus  was  peculiarly  concerned  to  enlarge  and  beautify  the  basilica  of  St. 
Peter,  perhaps  out  of  gratitude  for  the  shelter  it  afforded  him  during  his  years  of 
struggle,  501-506.  The  basilica  of  St.  Andrew  was  a  rotonda  which  stood  beside  the 
church  of  St.  Peter  until  it  was  demolished  by  Pius  VI  to  make  room  for  the  present 
sacristy.  It  seems  to  have  been  built  originally  during  the  fifth  century,  together  with 
a  second  circular  structure  which  stood  behind  it  and  was  connected  with  it  and  with 
St.  Peter's  by  a  gallery.  The  two  were  apparently  intended  as  mausoleums  for  the 
family  of  Theodosius  and  the  rear  building  actually  contained  some  imperial  tombs.  It 
was  called  in  the  Middle  Ages  the  chapel  of  Santa  Petronilla.  The  rotonda  which 
Symmachus  now  converted  into  a  church  and  dedicated  to  St.  Andrew  had  presumably 
never  been  used  as  a  mausoleum  and  was  empty  until  he  furnished  it.  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  265,  n.  16. 

^  List  of  gifts  to  the  shrine  of  St.  Andrew  and  of  four  oratories  constructed  within 
the  rotonda ;  also  of  three  oratories  built  about  the  baptistery  of  St.  Peter,  which  stood 
at  the  end  of  the  north  transept  of  the  basilica.  These  last  three  oratories  were  dedi- 
cated to  the  Holy  Cross,  St.  John  the  Baptist  and  St.  John  the  Evangelist  respec- 
tively, as  were  the  oratories  attached  to  the  baptistery  of  the  Lateran.  Supra,  p.  103. 
Symmachus  may  have  equipped  the  Vatican  baptistery  to  serve  instead  of  the  Lateran 
during  his  e.xclusion  from  the  latter. 


SYMMACHUS 


121 


square,  he  set  another  fountain  and  an  accommodation  for  human 
necessity.^ 

And  he  built  other  steps  for  ascent  into  the  church  of  blessed 
Andrew  and  set  up  a  fountain. 

He  built  the  basihca  of  the  holy  martyr  Agatha  on  the  Via 
Aureha  on  the  estate  Lardarium ;  -  from  the  foundation  he  built  it 
and  offered  there  2  silver  coffers.^ 

At  that  time  he  built  the  basihca  of  Saint  Pancratius,^  where 
also  he  set  a  silver  coffer,  weighing  15  lbs. ;  he  built  hkewise  in  the 
same  place  a  bath. 

Also  in  the  church  of  blessed  Paul,  the  apostle,  he  rebuilt  the 
apse  of  the  basihca,  which  was  falling  into  ruin,  and  he  embellished 
it  with  a  picture  behind  the  confession  and  he  made  a  vaulting  and 
a  transept ;  and  over  the  confession  he  erected  a  silver  image  of  the 
Savior  and  the  12  apostles,  which  weighed  120  lbs. ;  and  before  the 
doors  of  the  basilica  he  built  steps  into  the  atrium  and  a  fountain ; 
and  behind  the  apse  he  brought  down  water  and  built  there  a  bath 
from  the  foundation.^ 

^  This  account  of  the  completion  and  adornment  of  the  atrium  before  St.  Peter's 
is  not  altogether  clear.  One  gathers  that  Symmachus  finished  and  decorated  the  fa- 
mous fountain  of  the  bronze  pine  cone  and  the  walls  of  the  atrium,  widened  the  stairway 
leading  up  to  the  atrium  and  built  a  palace  or  papal  residence  on  either  side.  It  is 
not  plain  what  was  the  purpose  of  the  steps  that  went  to  right  and  left,  unless  they 
were  approaches  to  the  palaces.  The  second  fountain  was  shaped  like  a  shell  and 
stood  apparently  before  the  entrance  to  the  atrium.  Of  course  there  is  now  no  trace 
of  these  arrangements.  Only  the  bronze  pine  cone  is  preserved  in  a  courtyard  of  the 
Vatican  palace. 

2  It  is  uncertain  where  this  basilica  stood. 

^  Boxes  or  coffers  of  hammered  silver  were  used  as  reliquaries.  Some  few  exam- 
ples from  this  period  are  still  preserved.  See  for  illustration  Lowrie,  Christian  Art  and 
Archaology,  pp.  360-361 ;   Dalton,  Byzantine  Art  and  ArchcBology,  pp.  563-564. 

^  San  Pancrazio  on  the  Via  Aurelia  over  the  martyr's  tomb.  The  modern  church 
has  been  much  restored.  After  the  Gothic  wars  the  city  gate  which  led  to  this  basilica 
was  called  Porta  San  Pancrazio  instead  of  Porta  Aurelia.  The  last  years  of  Symmachus 
were  passed  in  the  comparative  peace  and  order  of  Theodoric's  reign.  The  civil 
government  took  up  vigorously  the  work  of  repairing  public  buildings,  palaces,  theatres, 
aqueducts,  etc.,  and  furnished  bricks  and  other  materials  to  the  church  for  its  restora- 
tions and  new  enterprises.  Frothingham,  Monuments,  pp.  69-71.  Gregorovius, 
History  of  Rome,  tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  290-308. 

^  San  Paolo  has  passed  through  so  many  vicissitudes  that  it  is  impossible  now  to 
identify  any  handiwork  of  Symmachus.  Behind  the  apse  of  the  basilica  is  the  public 
street  and  beyond  that  on  the  hUl  the  cemetery  of  Lucina.  An  inscription  of  the  sixth 
or  seventh  century,  however,  speaks  of  a  bath  built  in  a  cemetery  and  of  water  brought 


122  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

Within  the  city  of  Rome  he  built  the  basiHca  of  Saints  Silvester 
and  Martin  from  its  foundation,  near 

the  baths  I 

of  Trajan  ^  and  there  also  he  set  a  silver  ciborium  above  the  altar, 
which  weighed  120  lbs.;  12  silver  coffers,  which  weighed  each  10 
lbs. ;  a  silver  confession,  which  weighed  15  lbs. 

For  the  blessed  John  and  Paul  he  built  steps  behind  the  apse.^ 

Also  he  enlarged  the  basihca  of  the  archangel  Michael  and 
built  steps  and  brought  in  water. ^ 

Also  he  erected  from  its  foundation  an  oratory  of  Saints  Cosma 
and  Damian  beside  Saint  Mary.'^ 

Also  on  the  Via  Trivana,  27  miles  from  the  city  of  Rome,  on  the 
estate  Pacinianum,  he  dedicated  a  basiHca  to  blessed  Peter  at  the 
request  of  Albinus  and  Glaphyra,  the  illustrious  praetorian  pre- 
fects, who  built  it  from  the  foundation  at  their  own  expense.^ 

Also  near  blessed  Peter  and  blessed  Paul, 

the  apostles, 

and  near  Saint  Lawrence, 

the  martyr, 

he  erected  lodging  houses  for  the  poor.^ 

in  by  means  of  wheels  and  pulleys.  The  reference  may  be  to  the  bath  of  Symmachus. 
Duchesne,  op.  cil.,  p.  267,  n.  34. 

1  A  church  had  been  built  on  this  site  two  hundred  years  before  by  Pope  Sylvester. 
Supra,  p.  42,  n.  I.  It  seems  likely  that  Symmachus  restored  or  enriched  the  earlier 
structure  and  added  another  close  beside  it,  dedicated  to  St.  Martin  of  Tours.  The  two 
basilicas  were  later  spoken  of  as  one  under  the  title  Sts.  Sylvester  and  Martin.  In 
course  of  time  the  name  of  St.  Martin  predominated  and  the  modern  church  is  known 
as  San  Martino  ai  Monti.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  267,  n.  35. 

2  The  flight  of  steps  down  the  hill  behind  the  apse  is  a  feature  of  Santi  Giovanni  e 
Paolo  to-day. 

'  The  tomb  of  Hadrian  was  not  consecrated  to  the  archangel  until  the  seventh 
century.  It  is  not  known  what  basilica  to  St.  Michael  existed  as  early  as  the  age  of 
Symmachus,  although  three  are  said  to  have  stood  within  the  city  at  the  beginning 
of  the  ninth  century.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  268,  n.  36. 

*  Now  disappeared. 

^  The  site  is  unknown.  Via  Trivana  may  be  a  corruption  for  Via  Tiberina,  the 
road  which  branches  off  from  the  Via  Flaminia  at  Saxa  Rubra.  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
p.  268,  n.  37. 

^  Whether  these  lodgings  were  for  impoverished  citizens  of  Rome  or  for  impecunious 
pilgrims  from  a  distance,  they  testify  to  the  increasing  scope  of  church  activity. 


SYMMACHUS  123 

:|c  *  *  *  *  1 


He  appointed  that  on  every  Lord's  day  and  anniversary  of  the 
martyrs  the  hymn,  "Gloria  in  excelsis,"  should  be  repeated.^ 

He  set  in  order  the  cemetery  of  the  Jordani  for  the  sake  of  the 
body  of  Saint  Alexander.^ 

He  every  year  sent  rehef  of  money  and  garments  to  the  bishops 
who  had  been  driven  into  exile  throughout  Africa  and  Sardinia.^ 

He  redeemed  with  money  captives  in  Liguria  and  Milan  and 
divers  provinces  and  bestowed  gifts  upon  them  and  let  them  go 
free.^ 


:f:  6 


in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle. 


He  also  was  buried 

in    the    church    of    the    blessed 
Peter,^  July  19, 
in  peace. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  7  days.     And  he  slept  in  peace  as 

a  confessor.^ 

He  was  buried  the  19th  day 
of  the  month  of  July. 

^  List  of  gifts  to  St.  Peter  and  of  repairs  to  the  basilicas  of  St.  Felicitas  and  St. 
Agnes,  both  of  which  are  said  to  have  been  falling  into  ruin. 

2  Before  the  time  of  Symmachus  the  angelic  hymn  was  chanted  only  at  the  papal 
mass  on  Christmas  night.     Supra,  p.  13  and  n.  2. 

3  This  cemetery  is  on  the  Via  Salaria  Nova,  not  far  from  the  church  of  St.  Agnes. 
It  contained  the  tomb  of  the  martyr  Alexander,  one  of  the  sons  of  St.  Felicitas,  and 
sepulchres  of  other  saints.  The  discovery  of  this  cemetery  in  1578  led  to  the  opening 
up  of  the  other  catacombs  of  Rome.     Lanciani,  Pagan  and  Christian  Rome,  ch.  VII. 

*  Trasamond,  king  of  the  Vandals,  about  508  drove  the  African  bishops  into  exile  in 
Sardinia.     For  a  letter  of  Symmachus  to  these  refugees  see  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  99, 

762. 

s  We  possess  no  other  information  regarding  the  captives  said  to  have  been  ran- 
somed by  Symmachus  in  Northern  Italy  but  the  country  was  overrun  by  Gothic  bands 
and  life  and  liberty  must  have  been  precarious. 

*  List  of  ordinations. 

">  John  the  Deacon  in  the  ninth  century  mentions  the  tombs  of  Leo  I,  Simplicius 
and  Symmachus  which  he  had  seen  in  the  portico  of  the  Vatican.  Vita  Saudi  Gregorii, 
IV,  68;  Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  75.     Both  tombs  and  epitaphs  have  disappeared. 

8  Duchesne  remarks  that  this  epithet,  like  the  other  laudatory  terms  applied  to 
Symmachus,  show  that  our  author  felt  a  particular  sympathy  for  and  interest  in  this 
pope  as  one  with  whose  difficulties  he  had  been  himself  acquainted.  Op.  cit.,  p.  268, 
n.  46.  Mommsen  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  author  was  merely  following  a  good 
source  which  has  since  been  lost.     Lib.  Pont.,  p.  xvii. 


124 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


LIV.    HORMISDAS    (514-523) 

Hormisdas,  by  nationality  a  Campanian,  son  of  Justus,  from 
the  town  of  Frisino/  occupied  the  see  9  years  and  17  days.  He 
was  bishop  in  the  time  of  Theodoric,  the  king,  and  Anastasius  Au- 
gustus,- from  the  consulship  of  Senator  (a.d.  514)  to  the  consulship 
of  Symmachus  and  Boethius  (a.d.  522).  He  set  the  clergy  in  order  ^ 
and  taught  them  from  the  Psalms.  He  built  a  basilica  in  the 
Alban  district  on  the  estate  Mefontis.'^ 


By  authority  of  his  bishop- 
ric and  by  decree  of  a  synod 
and  in  accordance  with  the  clem- 
ency of  the  apostohc  see  he  sent 
to  Greece  and  reconciled  the 
Greeks  who  had  been  in  bond- 
age of  the  anathema,  because  of 
Peter  of  Alexandria  and  Aca- 
cius  of  Constantinople.^ 

This    pope    sent    to     King 


At  that  time  by  a  decree  of  a 
synod  he  sent  to  Greece  and  dis- 
played the  clemency  of  the 
apostolic  see, 

for  the  Greeks  had  been  bound 
by  the  chain  of  the  anathema, 
because  of  Peter  of  Alexandria 
and  Acacius,  bishop  of  Con- 
stantinople, under  John,  bishop 
of  Constantinople.^ 

By    advice    of    King    Theo- 


'  A  town  in  ancient  Latium,  the  modern  Frosinone.  The  name  Campania  is  here 
applied  in  the  medieval  sense  to  the  region  around  Rome. 

2  To  be  quite  exact  the  author  should  have  added  the  name  of  Justin,  who  was 
emperor  from  518  to  523. 

^  This  may  mean  that  Hormisdas  did  his  utmost  to  efface  the  vestiges  of  the  schism 
which  had  rent  the  church  under  his  predecessor.  His  epitaph  says  that  he  restored 
"the  members  torn  from  their  wonted  places."    Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  272,  n.  4. 

*  The  spot  is  now  unknown. 

^  The  following  account  of  the  negotiations  of  Hormisdas  with  the  Eastern  emperor 
and  the  final  reconciliation  of  the  Eastern  church  is  substantially  correct,  the  version 
in  the  first  column  from  the  Felician  Epitome  being  in  the  main  more  accurate  than 
that  in  the  second.  The  insurrection  of  Vitalian  in  514  forced  the  emperor  to  propitiate 
orthodo.x  opinion  and  to  propose  the  settlement  of  differences  at  a  general  council  to 
be  held  at  Heraclea  under  the  presidency  of  the  pope.  Hormisdas  agreed  to  partici- 
pate in  the  council,  provided  that  the  Eutychian  heresy  should  be  expressly  anathema- 
tised during  the  proceedings  and  the  acts  of  the  Council  of  Chalcedon  should  be  ratified. 
Supra,  p.  106,  n.  2.  In  the  summer  of  515  he  sent  the  legates  mentioned  in  the 
text  to  discuss  with  the  emperor  the  conditions  of  church  reunion.  Jaffe,  Regesta, 
vol.  I,  p.  loi,  771,  773,  777. 

*  John  was  not  bishop  at  Constantinople  until  518,  toward  the  close  of  the  events 
about  to  be  narrated.     Timotheus  was  his  predecessor.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  272,  n.  6. 


HORMISDAS 


125 


Theodoric  at  Ravenna  and  by 
advice  of  the  king  he  dispatched 
Ennodius,  bishop  of  Ticinum/ 
and  Fortunatus,  bishop  of  Ca- 
thena,^  and  Evantius,  a  priest  of 
the  city,  and  VitaHs,  a  deacon  of 
the  city. 

They  went  to  Anastasius  Au- 
gustus and  proposed  that  the 
Greeks  should  do  penance  ac- 
cording to  the  code  and  be  rein- 
stated but  they  effected  nothing.^ 

Likewise  a  second  time  ■* 
Hormisdas  sent  Ennodius  and 
Peregrinus,  the  bishops,  and 
Pollio,  a  subdeacon  of  the  city, 
and  they  carried  with  them 
secret  letters  and  arguments  for 
the  faith,  19  in  number,  and  the 
code  of  penance,  by  means  of 
which    the    Greeks    might    be 


doric  he  dispatched  Ennodius, 
bishop  of  Ticinum,  and  Fortu- 
natus, bishop  of  Catina,  and 
Venantius,  a  priest  of  the  city  of 
Rome,  and  VitaHs,  a  deacon  of 
the  apostolic  see,  and  Hilary,  a 
notary  of  the  aforesaid  see. 

They     went     to    Anastasius 
Augustus 


but  effected  nothing. 

Likewise  a  second  time  he 
sent  the  same  Ennodius  and 
Peregrinus,  bishop  of  Mesena,^ 
carrying  secret  letters  and  argu- 
ments in  support  of  the  faith,  19 
in  number,  and  the  text  of  the 
code  of  penance. 


1  The  modern  Pavia. 

^  A  corruption  for  Catina,  the  modern  Catania  in  Sicily. 

'  By  516  Anastasius  was  no  longer  afraid  of  Vitalian  and  accordingly  sent  the  pope's 
embassy  home  with  a  letter  declining  his  proposal. 

^  Anastasius,  not  wishing  to  appear  to  discourage  altogether  the  agitation  for 
ecclesiastical  reunion,  next  sent  an  embassy  of  his  own  to  the  pope  and  the  Roman 
senate  with  counter  propositions.  In  February,  517,  Hormisdas  was  writing  in  an  irri- 
tated and  despondent  tone  about  the  hoUowness  of  the  Greek  professions.  In  April  of 
that  same  year,  however,  he  had  been  himself  persuaded  to  send  a  second  deputation 
to  Constantinople.  It  carried  with  it  letters  to  the  emperor,  to  Timotheus,  bishop  of 
Constantinople,  to  Possessor,  an  African  bishop  sojourning  at  the  capital,  to  the 
orthodox  clergy,  monks  and  populace  of  the  city,  to  the  orthodox  bishops  of  the  Orient 
and  finally  to  all  Eastern  bishops  without  distinction  of  party.  The  orthodox  were 
approved  and  urged  to  remain  constant ;  the  rest  reminded  that  they  must  return  to 
the  rock  on  which  the  church  was  built.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  pp.  102-103,  784,  789-794. 
The  Lih.  Pont,  also  speaks  of  an  argument  in  nineteen  headings  and  a  code  of  penance. 
No  copy  of  the  argument  is  known  to  exist.  The  copies  distributed  in  the  East  were 
destroyed,  as  our  text  relates.  Felix  III  had  already  offered  the  penitential  code  to 
the  erring  Greeks.     Supra,  p.  loS  and  n.  3  ;  p.  109. 

^  Messina. 


126 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


restored ;  and  if  the  Greeks  re- 
fused to  receive  the  arguments 
of  the  letters,  the  bishops  were 
to  distribute  them  among  the 
cities. 

And  Anastasius  Augustus  re- 
fused to  accept  their  offer,  be- 
cause he  beheved  in  the  heresy 
of  Euthices.^  Therefore  he  tried 
to  corrupt  the  bishops  with  a 
bribe  but  they  despised  the 
prince  and  would  not  take  the 
money. 


The  emperor,  hot  with  anger, 
sent  them  forth  by  a  dangerous 
place  and  embarked  them  on  a 
ship  in  peril  of  death  with  a  cap- 
tain and  a  prefect,  Heliodorus 
and  Demetrius.  And  the  em- 
peror gave  command  that  they 
should  not  enter  any  city. 

Nevertheless  the  bishops  se- 
cretly dispatched  the  above  men- 
tioned 19  letters  on  the  faith 
through  all  the  cities  by  the 
hands  of  cathoUc  monks. 

But  these  letters  were  re- 
ceived by  bishops  of  the  cities 
who  agreed  with  Anastasius 
Augustus,  the  heretic,  and  in 
fear  they  forwarded  them  all  to 


And  Anastasius  Augustus  re- 
fused to  accept  the  code  of  pen- 
ance, because  he  himself  shared 
in  the  Euthycian  heresy. 
Therefore  he  tried  to  corrupt  the 
legates  with  a  bribe  but  the 
legates  of  the  apostolic  see  de- 
spised Anastasius  Augustus  and 
would  not  take  the  money,  unless 
he  would  render  satisfaction  to 
the  apostolic  see.  Then  the  em- 
peror, full  of  wrath,  sent  them 
forth  by  a  back  way  and  em- 
barked them  on  a  dangerous 
ship  with  soldiers  and  captains 
and  prefects,  HeHodorus  and 
Demetrius. 

And  the  emperor  Anastasius 
gave  command  that  they  should 
not  enter  any  city. 

Nevertheless  the  legates  of  the 
apostolic  see  secretly  dispatched 
the  above  mentioned  19  letters 
on  the  faith  through  all  the  cities 
by  the  hands  of  orthodox  monks. 

But  these  letters  were  re- 
ceived by  bishops  of  the  cities 
who  were  of  the  party  of  Anas- 
tasius Augustus  and  in  fear  for- 
warded   all    the   letters  on   the 


1  The  details  of  the  failure  of  the  second  mission  to  Anastasius  are  recorded  only 
in  the  Lib.  Pont. 


HORMISDAS 


127 


Constantinople  to  the  hands  of 
Anastasius. 

Anastasius  in  rage  wrote  to 
Pope  Hormisdas  and  said  among 
other  impious  things  :  "We  wish 
to  command  you  not  to  lay  com- 
mands upon  us."  ^  Then,  struck 
by  a  blow  from  the  divine  thun- 
derbolt, Anastasius  perished.^ 


So  Justin,  the  orthodox,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  empire  and  he  sent 
to  the  apostolic  see,  to  Pope 
Hormisdas,  Gratus,  a  man  of 
illustrious  name,  and  asked  that 
legates  might  be  commissioned 
by  the  apostolic  see.^ 

Then,  by  advice  of  King 
Theodoric,  Hormisdas  sent  Ger- 
manus,  bishop  of  Capua,  and 
John,  the  bishop,  and  Blandus, 
a  priest,  and  Felix,  a  deacon  of 
the  apostolic  see,  and  Dioscorus, 
a  deacon  of  the  aforesaid  see,"* 
and  he  fortified  them  on  every 


faith  as  criminal  to  Constan- 
tinople. 

Full  of  rage  Anastasius  wrote 
against  Pope  Hormisdas  and 
among  other  impious  things  said 
this  :  "  We  wish  to  command  you 
not  to  lay  commands  upon  us." 
At  that  time  by  the  will  of 
God  Anastasius  was  struck 
by  the  divine  thunderbolt  and 
died. 

So  Justin,  the  orthodox,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  empire  and  he  sent 
with  his  authority  to  Pope 
Hormisdas  and  the  apostohc  see 
Gratus,  a  man  of  illustrious 
name,  to  request  of  the  apostohc 
see  that  the  peace  of  the  churches 
might  be  restored. 

Then  Hormisdas,  the  bishop, 
by  advice  of  King  Theodoric, 
sent  from  the  apostolic  see  Ger- 
manus,  bishop  of  Capua,  and 
John  and  Blandus,  a  priest,  and 
Felix  and  Dioscorus,  deacons  of 
the  apostolic  see,  and  Peter,  a 
notary,  and  he  instructed  them 


^  The  text  of  the  imperial  letter  is  printed  in  Thiel,  EpistolcB  Romanorum  Pontificum, 
vol.  I,  p.  813.  It  is  dated  July  11,517,  and  ends  with  the  words,  "We  can  endure  to  be 
insulted  and  to  be  made  of  no  effect ;  we  cannot  endure  to  be  commanded."  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  273,  n.  12. 

-  Several  writers  of  the  time  mention  a  great  storm  on  the  day  of  the  death  of 
Anastasius.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  273,  n.  13. 

^  August  I,  518,  Justin  wrote  to  Hormisdas  to  announce  his  accession,  and  in  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year  he  sent  Gratus,  "  vir  clarissimus,"  to  reopen  the  question  of  reunit- 
ing the  divided  church.  The  emperor's  letter  is  in  Thiel,  Epistola,  vol.  I,  p.  831. 
Hormisdas'  answers  are  summarized  in  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  104,  801,  802. 

^  This  Dioscorus  had  already  proved  his  talents  of  eloquence  and  persuasion. 
Supra,  p.  118,  n.  I.  Being  an  Alexandrian  he,  of  course,  was  famihar  with  the  Greek 
language  and  point  of  view  and  was  especially  qualified  for  a  part  in  the  mission. 


:28 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


point  of  faith  and  gave  them  the 
code  of  penance,  by  means  of 
which  the  Greeks  might  return 
to  communion  with  the  apos- 
tolic see.^ 

And  when  they  drew  near  to 
Constantinople 

there  came  out  to  meet  them  a 
multitude  of  monks  and  a  host 
of  distinguished  men,  among 
whom  were  the  emperor  Justin 
and  VitaUanus,  master  of  the 
soldiery,  and  they  escorted 
them  from  the  so-called  Round 
Castle  into  the  city  of  Con- 
stantinople.^ 

With  glory  and  praise  they 
entered  the  city  together  with 
the  illustrious  Gratus. 

So  after  their  entrance  into 
the  city  they  were  gloriously  re- 
ceived by  Justin  Augustus,  the 
orthodox. 

Then  all  the  clergy  of  Con- 
stantinople and  John,  the  bishop, 
knowing  that  these  men  had 
been  joyfully  received, 


on  every  point  of  faith  and  gave 
them  the  text  of  the  code  of 
penance. 


And  when  they  drew  near  to 
Constantinople  they  were  so 
radiant  with  the  grace  of  faith 
that  a  multitude  of  orthodox 
monks  and  a  vast  host  of  dis- 
tinguished men,  among  whom 
were  the  emperor  Justin  and  the 
consul  Vitalianus,  came  to  meet 
them  and  escorted  them  from 
the  so-called  Round  Castle  into 
the  city  of  Constantinople. 

With  glory  and  praise  they 
entered  the  city  together  with 
the  illustrious  Gratus. 

And  they  were  gloriously  re- 
ceived by  Justin  Augustus,  the 
orthodox. 

Then  all  the  clergy  and  John, 
the  bishop  of  Constantinople, 
knowing  that  these  men  had 
been  joyously  received,  also  they 


1  The  instructions  given  by  Hormisdas  to  the  legates  have  been  preserved  and  may 
be  found  in  Mansi,  Amplissima  CollecHo,  vol.  VIII,  p.  441,  and  in  Migne,  Pa^.  Lat.,  vol. 
63,  P-  433-    Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  104,  805. 

2  An  ofl&cial  report  from  the  envoys  to  the  pope,  describing  their  enthusiastic  recep- 
tion at  Constantinople,  and  a  special  report  from  the  deacon  Dioscorus  on  the  same 
topic  are  printed  in  Thiel,  op.  cit.,  vol.  I,  pp.  857-859.  They  mention  among  the  gran- 
dees who  met  them  and  escorted  them  to  the  gates  the  count  Justinian,  then  an  influ- 
ential minister  of  the  emperor  Justin.  The  author  of  the  Lib.  Pont,  has  taken  the  name 
for  that  of  the  emperor  and  has  therefore  mistakenly  represented  Justin  himself  as 
being  among  the  escorts.  A  sentence  or  two  later  he  explicitly  says  that  Justin  re- 
ceived the  Romans  after  their  arrival  in  the  city. 


HORMISDAS 


129 


shut  themselves  up  in  the  great 
church  which  is  called  Santa 
Sophia  and  held  a  council  and 
sent  word  unto  the  emperor,  say- 
ing, ''Unless  the  reason  be  ex- 
pounded to  us  why  Acacius,  the 
bishop  of  our  city,  was  con- 
demned, we  make  no  agreement 
with  the  apostolic  see." 

And  a  council  was  held  be- 
fore Justin  Augustus,  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  nobility,  and 
the  legates  of  the  apostolic  see 
chose  Dioscorus,  the  deacon, 
from  among  themselves  to  ex- 
pound the  reason.  And  he  set 
forth  to  them  the  guilt  of  Aca- 
cius so  clearly  that  they  all,  even 
Justin  Augustus,  cried  out  to- 
gether, saying,  "Damnation  to 
Acacius  here  and  in  eternity ! " 
At  that  time  Justin  Augustus 
accepted  the  truth  and  gave 
command  that  every  bishop 
within  the  realm  of  Justin  should 
satisfy  the  code  of  penance  with- 
out delay  and  return  to  com- 
munion with  the  apostolic  see. 
And  this  came  to  pass  and  there 
was  harmony  from  the  East 
unto  the  West  and  the  peace  of 
the  church  prevailed.  And  the 
text  of  the  code  of  penance  is 
kept  laid  up  in  the  archives  of 
the  church  unto  this  day.^ 


who  had  been  associated  with 
Anastasius,  |  Acacius, 
shut  themselves  up  in  the  great 
church  which  is  called  Santa 
Sophia  and  held  a  council  and 
sent  word  unto  the  emperor, 
saying,  "Unless  the  reason  be 
expounded  to  us  why  our  bishop 
Acacius  was  condemned,  we 
make  no  agreement  with  the 
apostohc  see." 


An  extract  from  Dioscorus'  account  of  the  hearing  given  to  the  envoys  before 


I30 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


This  pope  Hormisdas  sent  to 
King  Theodoric  at  Ravenna  ^ 
and  by  his  advice  dehvered 
authority  to  Justin  and  restored 
him  to  unity  with  the  apostolic 
see  through  the  seal  of  his  auto- 
graph and  the  code  of  penance 
and  condemned  Peter  and 
Acacius  and  all  heresies. 

He  found  Manicheans  and  shattered  them 

with  a  multitude  of  |  and  tried  them  by 

blows  and  sent  them  into  exile ;  and 

he  destroyed  |  he  burned 

their  books  with  fire  before  the  doors  of  the  basilica  of  Constantine.^ 
In  his  days  the  bishopric 


of  Africa,  which  had  been  abol- 
ished by  the  heretics  in  the  time 
of  persecution,  was  reestablished 
after  74  years.^ 

At  that  time  there  came 
a  golden  crown, 


in  Africa,  which  had  been  abol- 
ished by  the  heretics,  was  re- 
stored after  74  years. 


a  diadem, 


the  emperor,  the  Byzantine  senate  and  the  leaders  of  the  church  is  quoted  by  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  273-274,  n.  19.  Dioscorus  says  that  the  reading  of  the  pope's  letters  and  the 
code  of  penance  produced  conviction  at  once  and  modestly  makes  nothing  of  his  own 
part  in  bringing  about  the  happy  termination.  A  letter  from  Hormisdas,  however, 
written  to  Dioscorus  in  December  of  the  same  year,  expresses  his  thankfulness  for 
what  God  had  done  through  him  and  his  own  intention  of  asking  the  emperor  to  bestow 
on  Dioscorus  the  bishopric  of  Alexandria  as  a  reward  for  his  labors.  Jaffe,  Regesta, 
p.  107,  842.  A  "libellus  pasnitentiae  "  or  penitential  code  of  the  year  517  is  printed  in 
Thiel,  Epistolce,  vol.  I,  p.  755. 

1  The  author  of  this  second  text  places  the  expedition  of  Hormisdas  to  Ravenna 
during  the  reign  of  Justin  and  connects  it  with  the  successful  negotiations  of  519.  The 
author  of  the  first  text  places  it  under  Anastasius  as  a  part  of  the  fruitless  ventures  of 

515-517- 

2  This  episode  is  mentioned  only  in  the  Lib.  Pont. 

^  The  reestablishment  of  the  orthodox  church  in  the  Vandal  kingdom  of  Africa 
took  place  immediately  on  the  death  of  Trasamond,  May,  523.  News  of  the  event 
must  have  reached  Rome  shortly  before  the  death  of  Hormisdas  in  August  of  the  same 
year.     The  figure  74,  given  here  for  the  duration  of  the  term  of  Catholic  persecution, 


HORMISDAS,   JOHN   I 


131 


set  with  precious  stones,  from  the  king  of  the  Franks,  Cloduveus, 
for  a  gift  to  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle. ^ 

During  his  episcopate  many  gold  and  silver  vessels  came  from 
Greece,  and  the  gospels  with  golden  covers  and  precious  stones, 
which  weighed  15  lbs. ;  ^ 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *3 

These  all  were  sent  as  a  thank  offering  by  Justin  Augustus,  the 
orthodox. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *4 

He  also  was  buried 


in  the  church  of  blessed  Peter,^ 


in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle, 


August  6,  in  the  consulship  of  Maximus, 
the  younger  (a.d.  523).  | 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  6  days. 


LV.   John  I  (523-526) 


John,  by  nationaHty  a  Tus- 
can, son  of  Constantius,  occu- 
pied the  see  2  years,  9  months 


John,  by  nationality  a  Tus- 
can, son  of  Constantius,  occu- 
pied the  see  2  years,  9  months 


should  probably  be  84.  The  latter  would  carry  one  back  to  439>  the  year  when  Car- 
thage was  captured  by  Genseric  and  the  clergy  of  the  city  were  driven  into  exile.  Du- 
chesne, op.  cit.,  p.  274,  n.  22. 

1  Clovis  died  in  5 1 1 ,  three  years  before  the  accession  of  Hormisdas.  It  is  possible, 
however,  that  there  had  been  a  delay  in  the  transportation  of  his  votive  crown  to  Rome. 

2  A  letter  has  been  preserved,  sent  in  521  by  Hormisdas  to  Epiphanius,  bishop  of 
Constantinople,  to  which  is  added  a  note  in  the  pope's  own  handwriting.  "We  have 
received  the  golden,  jewelled  chalice,  the  silver  paten  and  a  second  silver  chalice  and 
two  curtains  sent  by  your  charity  to  serve  in  the  ministry  of  the  basilica  of  blessed 
Peter."     Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  108,  858. 

3  List  of  rich  vessels  and  other  objects. 

*  Lists  of  gifts  from  Theodoric  and  Hormisdas  to  the  great  basilicas.      List  of 

ordinations. 

5  His  epitaph,  written  by  his  son  Silverius,  who  himself  became  pope  in  536,  is 
given  by  Duchesne ;  op.  cit.,  p.  274,  n.  25.  It  ascribes  to  Hormisdas  the  credit  not  only 
for  the  healing  of  the  schisms  at  home  and  abroad  but  also  for  the  restoration  of  the 
Catholic  church  in  Africa. 


13^ 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


and  15  days,  from  the  consul- 
ship of  Maximus  (a.d.  523)  to 
the  consulship  of  Olybrius,  the 
younger  (a.d.  526). 

He  was  summoned  by  King 
Theodoric  to  Ravenna  and  the 
king  commissioned  him  and  sent 
him  on  an  embassy  to  Constan- 
tinople to  Justin,  the  emperor. 
For  Justin  was  a  devout  man  and 
in  his  great  love  for  the  Christian 
religion  he  tried  to  root  out 
heretics. 


With  great  fervor  he  dedi- 
cated the  churches  of  the  Arians 
to  the  catholic  faith. ^ 

Therefore  Theodoric,  the 
Arian,  was  angered  and  threat- 
ened to  put  all  Italy  to  the 
sword. 

Then  John,  the  venerable 
pope,  set  forth  and  journeyed 
with  weeping  and  lamentation 
and    certain    devout    men,    ex- 


and  16  days.  He  was  bishop 
from  the  consulship  of  Maximus 
(a.d.  523)  to  the  consulship  of 
Olybrius  (a.d.  526),  in  the  days 
of  Theodoric  and  of  Justin 
Augustus,  the  Christian.  He  was 
summoned  by  King  Theodoric 
to  Ravenna  and  the  same  king 
commissioned  him  and  sent  him 
on  an  embassy  to  Constanti- 
nople to  Justin,  the  orthodox 
emperor.  For  at  that  time  Jus- 
tin, the  emperor,  a  devout  man, 
in  his  ardent  love  for  the  Chris- 
tian religion  was  trying  to  root 
out  the  heretics. 

With  great  fervor  for  Chris- 
tianity he  adopted  a  plan  to 
consecrate  the  churches  of  the 
Arians  as  catholic.  Hence  the 
heretic  king,  Theodoric,  was 
incensed,  when  he  heard  of  it, 
and  threatened  to  destroy  all 
Italy  with  the  sword. 

Then  John,  the  pope,  ill  with 
infirmity,  journeyed  weeping, 
and  certain  senators  and  ex- 
consuls  with  him,  namely  The- 


1  The  Anonymous  Chronicle  of  Valois,  compiled  apparently  after  the  death  of 
Theodoric,  tells  practically  the  same  story;  viz.  that  Theodoric  believed  that  "Justin 
was  afraid  of  him"  and  therefore  he  charged  John  to  tell  him  "among  other  things  not 
to  readmit  to  the  catholic  religion  the  heretics  who  had  been  reconciled."  "And  when 
he  came  (to  Constantinople)  the  emperor  Justin  met  him  as  if  he  had  been  the  blessed 
Peter ;  and  when  he  had  delivered  his  message  the  emperor  promised  to  do  everything, 
except  that  he  could  never  restore  to  the  Arians  those  who  had  been  reconciled  and  had 
adopted  the  catholic  faith."  Ch.  88-93.  Quoted  by  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I, 
p.  277,  n.  2.  The  proscription  of  the  Arians  by  Justin  took  place  in  523.  Theodoric 
may  have  felt  that  this  action  was  a  menace  to  the  safety  of  the  Gothic  tribes  in  Italy 
and  jeopardised  the  policy  of  general  peace  and  toleration  which  he  himself  had  labored 
to  enforce.     On  the  Anon.  Valesianus,  see  Mommsen,  Chronica  Minora,  I. 


JOHN   I 


'^33 


consuls  and  patricians,  went  with 
him,  Theodorus,  Importunus, 
Agapitus  and  another  Agapitus. 

And  they  took  this  for  the 
message  of  their  embassy,  that 
the  churches  of  the  heretics  in  the 
dominions  of  Greece  should  be 
returned  to  them  and  that  if  it 
were  not  done 

Justin  Angus-      King  Theodoric 
tus 
would  put  all  Italy  to  the  sword. 

When  all  the  aforesaid  en- 
voys had  arrived  at  Constanti- 
nople with  John,  the  pope,  the 
people  came  to  meet  them  at  the 
1 2th  milestone  in  honor  of  the 
apostles,  for  from  the  days  of  the 
blessed  Silvester,  the  pope,  in  the 
time  of  Constantine,  they  had 
desired  to  be  accounted  worthy 
to  receive  in  Greece  the  vicar  of 
Saint  Peter, 


and  Justin  Augustus  adored  the 
blessed  John, 


odorus,  Importunus,  Agapitus, 
the  exconsuls,^  and  another 
Agapitus,  a  patrician. 

And  they  took  this  for  their 
message  as  ambassadors,  that 
the  churches  should  be  returned 
to  the  heretics  in  the  dominions 
of  the  East  and  that  otherwise 
Theodoric  would  put  all  Italy 
to  the  sword. 


When  they  had  journeyed 
with  John,  the  pope,  the  whole 
city  with  candles  and  crosses 
came  to  meet  them  at  the  15  th 
milestone  in  honor  of  the  blessed 
apostles,  Peter  and  Paul,  and 
the  ancients  among  the  Greeks 
bore  witness,  saying  that  in  the 
time  of  Constantine  Greece  had 
been  accounted  worthy  to  re- 
ceive the  blessed  Silvester, 
bishop  of  the  apostolic  see,  and 
again  in  the  time  of  Justin 
Augustus  it  had  received  the 
vicar  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apos- 
tle, with  glory. 2  Then  Justin 
Augustus  gave  honor  to  God 
and  bowed  himself  to  the  ground 


1  Flavius  Theodorus  was  consul  in  505,  Importunus  in  509,  Agapitus  in  517. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  277,  n.  3. 

2  As  a  matter  of  fact  John  I  was  the  first  pope  to  visit  Constantinople.  The  refer- 
ence to  Sylvester  in  the  first  column  of  our  text,  taken  from  the  Felician  Epitome, 
probably  means  that  since  the  time  of  Sylvester,  i.e.  since  the  official  recognition  of 
Christianity  and  the  establishment  of  the  state  church  at  Constantinople,  no  such  honor 
had  been  paid  to  the  Eastern  capital.  The  author  of  the  later  version  in  the  second 
column  has  misunderstood  the  passage  and  interpreted  it  as  a  statement  that  Sylvester 
himself  had  once  been  in  Greece.     The  contemporary  chronicle  of  Marcellinus  says, 


134 


LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 


Then     the 
emperor 
granted    the 
requests 


and    he    was    crowned    by    his 
hands. 

Likewise 
the  emperor 
granted  all  the 
request  of  the 
pope  and  the 
noble  senators, 
exconsuls  and 
patricians  of 
the  city  of 
Rome,  Flavius 
Theodorus, 
who  excelled 
the  other  digni- 


of  the  illus- 
trious   Theodo- 
rus and  of  the 
other        nobles 


and  adored  John,  the  most 
blessed  pope.  At  that  time 
blessed  John,  the  pope,  and  the 
aforesaid  senators  with  many 
tears  besought  of  Justin  Augus- 
tus that  their  embassy  might  be 
favored  in  his  sight.  And  Pope 
John  and  the  senators,  devout 
men,  obtained  all  their  requests 
and  Italy  was  dehvered  from 
King  Theodoric,  the  heretic.^ 
Moreover  Justin,  the  emperor, 
was  filled  with  joy  because  he 
had  been  accounted  worthy  to 
behold  the  vicar  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle,  during  his  hfetime 
within  his  realm  and  Justin  Au- 
gustus was  crowned  gloriously 
by  the  pope's  hands. 

At  that  time,  when  the  afore- 
said envoys,  that  is  Pope  John 
and  the  senators, 


Theodorus,  the  exconsul, 


"He  (John)  was  received  with  extraordinary  honor ;  he  sat  upon  a  throne  on  the  right 
side  of  the  church  and  he  celebrated  the  day  of  our  Lord's  resurrection  with  Roman 
prayers  in  a  loud  voice."     Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  51,  p.  94i- 

1  The  Lib.  Pont,  does  not  mention  the  demand  of  Theodoric  already  cited,  that 
Justin  should  compel  the  converted  Arians  to  return  to  their  old  faith.  Supra,  p.  132, 
n.  I.     Justin  did  apparently  consent  to  restore  the  confiscated  Arian  churches. 


JOHN   I 


135 


taries  in  splen- 
dor and  distinc- 
tion, the  illus- 
trious Importu- 
nus,  also  an 
exconsul,  the  il- 
lustrious Aga- 
pitus,  an  excon- 
sul, and  the 
other  Agapitus, 
the  patrician, 
and  to  save  the 
blood  of  the 
Romans  he  re- 
turned the 
churches  to  the 
heretics. 


But  while 
this  was  taking 
place  in  the 
dominion  of 
Greece,  in  ac- 
cordance with 
the  will  of  King 
Theodoric,  the 
heretic,  many 
priests  and 

Christians  were 
being  put  to  the 
sword.  Even 
while  King 

Theodoric  kept 
the  blessed 
bishop  John  and 
the  other  illus- 
trious men  so- 
journing      in 


who  came  with 
the      blessed 
pope  John, 


and  to  save  the 
blood  of  the 
Romans  he  re- 
turned the 
churches  of  the 
heretics  to 
them. 


But  while 
King  Theodoric 
kept  the  bishop 
John  and  the 
other  illustri- 
ous men  so- 
journing at 


Importunus,  the  exconsul, 


Agapitus,  the  exconsul, 


and  Agapitus,  the  patrician,  who 
died  at  Thessalonica, 


were  kept  sojourning  at  Constan- 
tinople by  King  Theodoric,  the 
heretic. 


136 


LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 


on 


Constantinople 
he  slew  two 
senators,  ex- 
consuls  and  pa- 
tricians, Boe- 
thius  and  Sym- 
machus,  with 
the  sword  and 
commanded 
that  their 
bodies  should 
be  concealed.' 

Then  when 
everything  had 
been  accom- 
plished in  due 
order  and  Aga- 
pitus,  the  patri- 
cian, was  dead 
in  Greece,  the 
aforesaid  illus- 
trious men  with 
John,  the  bish- 
op, returned 
and 

were  received  by  King  Theodoric 
craftily ;  in  great  hatred  he  re- 
ceived John,  the  bishop,  and  the 
illustrious  and  devout  senators 
and  in  the  heaviness  of  his  wrath 
he  would  have  punished  them 
with  the  sword  but  he  feared  the 


Constantinople 
he     slew     two 
senators,     Boe- 
thius  and  Sym- 
machus,     the 
patrician,    with 
the   sword   and 
commanded 
that         their 
bodies      should 
be    concealed. 

Then  Pope 
John  and  the 
aforesaid  illus- 
trious men 
their  return 


he  put  to  death  two  illustrious 
senators  and  exconsuls,  Sym- 
machus  and  Boethius,  slaying 
them  with  the  sword. 


At  that  time  the  venerable 
pope  John  and  the  senators  re- 
turned with  glory,  having  ob- 
tained all  their  requests  of  Justin 
Augustus, 


but  King  Theodoric,  the  heretic, 
received  them,  that  is  Pope 
John  and  the  senators,  with 
craft  and  hatred  and  would 
even  have  slain  them  with  the 
sword  but  he  feared  the  indig- 
nation of  Justin  Augustus. 

1  The  Anonymous  Chronicle  of  Valois  says  that  Boethius  was  strangled  by  Theod- 
oric before  the  pope  was  sent  to  Constantinople  but  that  Symmachus  was  put  to  death 
in  John's  absence.  "For  the  king  feared  that  his  grief  for  his  father-in-law  (Boethius) 
might  cause  him  to  plot  against  the  government  and  he  accused  him  of  crime  and 
ordered  him  to  be  executed."  Ch.  92.  A  third  chronicle  of  the  time,  Chronkon  Cus- 
pinianeum,  arranges  these  events  still  differently.  "In  that  year  Theodoric  slew 
Symmachus  and  Boethius  and  died  himself  eighteen  days  later."  Quoted  by  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  277,  n.  7. 


JOHN   I 


137 


indignation  of  Justin  Augustus, 
the  orthodox,  and  did  it  not. 

However,  he  confined  them 
all  cruelly  in  prison,  so  that  the 
blessed  pope  John,  worn  by  ill- 
ness, gave  up  the  ghost  and  died 
in  prison.^  He  died  at  Ravenna 
gloriously.  May  18,  in  the  prison 
of  King  Theodoric.  On  the  98th 
day  after  Bishop  John  had 
died  in  prison,  by  the  will  of 
omnipotent  God,  King  Theodo- 
ric suddenly 


was     struck 
down  by  divine 
power       and 
perished.^ 


was  struck  by  a 
thunderbolt 
and  perished. 


However,  he  confined  them 
all  miserably  in  prison,  so  that 
the  blessed  John,  bishop  and 
pope  of  the  chief  of  sees,  sick- 
ened in  prison  and  gave  up  the 
ghost  and  died.  He  died  a 
martyr  at  Ravenna  in  prison. 
May  18.^  Then  it  came  to  pass, 
by  the  will  of  omnipotent  God, 
that  on  the  98th  day  after  blessed 
John  died  in  prison  King  The- 
odoric, the  heretic,  suddenly 
perished. 


This  pope  John  rebuilt  the  cemetery  of  the  blessed  martyrs, 
Nereus  and  Achilleus,  on  the  Via  Ardeatina ;  *  he  likewise  restored 
the  cemetery  of  Saints  Felix  and  Adauctus ;  ^  he  likewise  restored 
the  cemetery  of  Priscilla.^ 

1  The  events  here  related  all  followed  each  other  in  rapid  succession.  At  the  end 
of  525  or  the  opening  of  526  Pope  John  was  in  Rome,  conferring  with  Dionysius  the 
Less,  over  the  celebration  of  the  approaching  Easter.  Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  67,  p.  517. 
When  that  Easter  came,  April  19,  he  was  in  Constantinople.  Supra,  p.  133,  n.  2.  On 
May  18  he  died  in  confinement  under  Theodoric's  displeasure.  The  king  was  in  a 
frame  of  mind  that  brooked  no  delays. 

2  The  author  of  the  text  in  the  second  column  calls  John  a  martyr.  The  Anonymous 
Chronicle  of  Valois  tells  how  a  man  possessed  by  a  devil  was  healed  as  the  pope's 
bier  passed  him  in  the  street  and  how  the  senators  and  the  populace  thereupon  tore 
off  fragments  of  the  dead  man's  vestments  to  preserve  as  relics.  Ch.  93.  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  277,  n.  9. 

^  Theodoric  died  on  August  30,  one  hundred  and  four  days  after  the  pope. 

*  John  restored  the  basilica  of  Santi  Nereo  ed  Achilleo  in  the  cemetery  of  Domitilla. 
It  is  possible  still  to  distinguish  between  the  remains  of  the  original  basilica,  built  about 
390  under  Pope  Siricius,  and  the  renovations  of  John. 

^  This  cemetery  was  also  known  as  the  cemetery  of  Commodilla.  It  stood  a  little 
to  the  east  of  the  basilica  of  St.  Paul,  near  the  Via  Ostiensis.  Frothingham  thinks  that 
John  decorated  with  frescos  the  subterranean  chapel  recently  unearthed  there.  Monu- 
ments, pp.  73,  74,  279-281. 

^  He  probably  restored  the  basilica  of  St.  Sylvester,  which  stood  over  the  catacomb 
of  Priscilla.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  277,  n.  13. 


138  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

:|c  *  *  *  *  *  *  *1 

His  body  was  brought  from  Ravenna  and  buried  in  the  basilica 
of  the  blessed  Peter,  May  27,  in  the  consulship  of  Olybrius  (a.d. 

526).^ 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  58  days. 

LVI.   Felix  IV  (526-530) 

Felix,  by  nationality  a  Samnite,  son  of  Castorius,  occupied  the 
see  4  years,  2  months  and  13  days.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of 
King  Theodoric  and  Justin  Augustus,  from  the  consulship  of  Ma- 
burtius  (a.d.  527)  to  the  consulship  of  Lampadius  and  Horestes 
(a.d.  530),  from  July  12  to  October  12.^ 

He  built  the  basihca  of  Saints  Cosma  and  Damian  in  the  city 
of  Rome,  in  the  region  which  is  called  the  Via  Sacra,  near  the 
temple  of  the  city  of  Rome.^ 

1  Short  list  of  gifts  to  Roman  basilicas,  contributed  principally  by  Emperor  Justin. 
List  of  ordinations. 

2  An  epitaph  copied  from  the  ancient  atrium  of  St.  Peter,  which  perhaps  marked 
the  tomb  of  John  I,  is  given  by  Duchesne.     Op.  ciL,  p.  278,  n.  15.     The  seventh  line 

runs, 

"Priest  of  the  Lord,  thou  art  fallen  a  victim  for  Christ." 

3  The  dates  recorded  here  for  the  pontificate  of  Felix  IV  are  not  quite  exact.  The- 
odoric died  seven  weeks  after  his  installation  and  Justin  a  year  later.  Accordingly  the 
greater  part  of  his  term  of  office  was  passed  under  Athalaric  and  Justinian.  Boniface 
II  was  ordained  September  22,  530,  so  that  Felix  must  have  died  during  the  same  month. 
A  calculation  based  upon  the  length  of  the  pontificate  as  given  in  the  first  sentence  of 
our  biography  brings  one  to  September  21  as  the  date  of  Felix'  death.  The  Latin  text 
for  this  passage  is  "  a  die  IV  id.  Jul.  usque  in  IV  id.  Octub."  It  is  possible  that  a  copyist 
may  have  repeated  the  "IV  id."  by  mistake  in  the  second  phrase  and  that  it  originally 
read  "in  X  kal.  Octub."  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  279,  nn.  i,  2.  Mommsen 
suggests  that  the  inaccuracy  in  date,  which  is  noticeable  from  time  to  time  through  this 
part  of  the  narrative  and  is  explained  by  Duchesne  as  copyist's  error  or  later  inter- 
polation, is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  author  is  not  a  contemporary  of  the  events  he  is 
describing  but  is  introducing  dates  at  his  own  discretion  into  a  narrative  of  an  earlier 
age.     Mommsen,  Lib.  Pont.,  p.  xvii. 

*  This  is,  of  course,  the  church  now  known  as  Santi  Cosma  e  Damiano.  It  was 
originally  a  pagan  hall,  dedicated  by  Vespasian,  restored  by  Severus  and  Caracalla 
and  employed  as  a  storehouse  for  census  reports  and  survey  records.  On  its  eastern 
wall  was  set  up  the  marble  plan  of  Rome,  of  which  fragments  are  now  preserved  in 
the  Capitoline  Museum.  Felix  constructed  an  apse  on  this  eastern  end  and  adorned 
it  with  a  mosaic  of  Christ  among  the  clouds,  attended  by  saints  and  apostles,  and  in- 
scribed the  dedicatory  verses  which  may  be  still  read  beneath  it.     The  hall  itself  stood 


FELIX   IV 


139 


In  his  time  the  basihca  of  the  holy  martyr  Saturninus  on  the 
Via  Salaria  was  burned  with  fire  and  he  rebuilt  it  from  its  foun- 
dation.^ 


He  was  ordained  by  order  of 
King  Theodoric  -  and  he  died  in 
the  time  of  King  Athalacic,  Octo- 
ber 12. 


He  was  ordained  peaceably 
and  he  lived  to  the  time  of 
Athalaric. 


*  3 


He  also  was  buried  in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle, 
October  15.^ 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  3  days. 


a  little  back  from  the  Via  Sacra,  from  which  it  was  separated  by  a  small,  circular  temple, 
erected  by  Maxentius  in  honor  of  his  son  Romulus.  Either  Felix  or  some  later  builder 
threw  the  new  church  and  the  round  temple  together,  so  that  the  latter  served  as  a 
vestibule  for  the  former  and  gave  it  an  entrance  upon  the  Via  Sacra.  There  is  consider- 
able uncertainty  as  to  the  edifice  referred  to  here  as  the  "temple  of  the  city  of  Rome." 
The  Lib.  Pont,  relates  of  Pope  Honorius  that  he  covered  the  whole  basilica  of  St.  Peter 
with  bronze  tiles  taken  by  permission  of  the  emperor  Heraclius  from  the  "  temple  which 
is  called  the  temple  of  Rome."  Duchesne  opines  that  the  building  thus  denoted  was 
the  civil  basilica  of  Constantine,  which  stood  near  Felix'  church.  Frothingham  and 
others  think  it  rather  the  temple  of  Venus  and  Rome.  The  cult  of  the  Cilician  martyrs, 
Cosma  and  Damian,  was  especially  popular  at  Rome  at  this  period.  Symmachus  had 
already  built  an  oratory  in  their  honor.  Supra,  p.  122.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  279, 
n.  3.  Frothingham,  Monuments,  pp.  73-74,  89-90.  Gregorovius,  History  of  Rome,  tr. 
Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  339-346. 

1  A  cemeterial  basilica  over  the  catacomb  of  Thrason  on  the  Via  Salaria.  It  has 
long  since  disappeared.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  280,  n.  4. 

^  A  letter  has  survived,  written  by  Athalaric  to  the  Roman  senate,  in  which  he 
expresses  his  pleasure  that  they  had  so  obediently  elected  the  pope  chosen  for  them 
by  his  predecessor,  Theodoric.  He  assures  them  that  Theodoric,  "  although  of  a  differ- 
ent faith,"  had  taken  pains  to  select  a  pontiff  who  would  be  satisfactory  to  any  upright 
man.     Cassiodorus,  Varim,  VIII,  15  ;  tr.  Hodgkin,  Letters  of  Cassiodorus,  pp.  360-361. 

'  List  of  ordinations. 

*  Duchesne  {op.  cit.,  p.  280,  n.  7)  gives  his  epitaph.  The  last  four  lines  may  be 
translated  as  follows : 

"  For  his  humble  piety  he  was  preferred  to  many  of  the  proud 
And  by  singleness  of  heart  he  won  a  lofty  place ; 
He  was  bountiful  to  the  poor,  he  comforted  the  wretched, 
He  increased  the  wealth  of  the  apostolic  see." 


I40  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS. 


LVII.   Boniface  II  (530-532) 

Boniface,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Sigibuld,^  occupied 
the  see  2  years  and  26  days.  He  was  bishop  in  the  time  of  King 
Athalaric,  the  heretic,  and  of  Justin  ^  Augustus, 

the  cathohc. 

He  was  ordained  by  one  faction  at  the  same  time  as  Dioscorus.^ 
Dioscorus  was  ordained  in  the  basiHca  of  Constantine  and  Boniface 
in  the  basiHca  of  Juhus ;  ^  and  there  was  strife  among  the  clergy 
and  in  the  senate  for  28  days.^    At  that  time  Dioscorus  died,  Octo- 

1  The  first  Germanic  name  to  appear  in  the  lists  of  the  popes  or  their  forbears.  A 
consul  of  the  year  437  was  called  Sigisbuld.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  282,  n.  2. 

^  This  name  should,  of  course,  be  Justinian. 

3  For  the  previous  career  of  Dioscorus  see  supra,  p.  118,  n.  i  and  p.  127  etseq.  The 
history  of  this  brief  schism  in  the  church  has  been  recently  illuminated  by  the  discovery 
in  the  chapter  library  at  Novara  of  three  documents  now  published  by  Duchesne.  Op. 
cit.,  p.  282,  nn.  4  and  8.  The  first  is  a  mandate  addressed  by  Felix  IV  on  his  deathbed 
to  the  bishops  and  clergy,  the  senate  and  people  of  Rome,  announcing  the  selection 
and  ordination  by  himself  of  Boniface,  the  archdeacon,  to  succeed  him  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  church  and  bidding  them  all  accept  Boniface  and  avoid  dissension  on  pain 
of  suspension  from  the  communion  of  the  Lord's  body.  FelLx,  we  may  recollect,  had 
been  an  appointee  of  Theodoric  and  apparently  wished  to  ensure  the  succession  of  a 
pope  who  would  continue  to  favor  the  Goths.  Dioscorus,  on  the  other  hand,  had  more 
connection  with  the  Greek  party  in  church  and  state.  The  second  document  is  a  general 
order  from  the  Roman  senate  to  the  clergy  to  refrain  during  the  lifetime  of  a  pope  from 
planning  for  the  ordination  of  his  successor.  The  edict  is  impartial  in  its  phraseology 
and  applies  equally  to  the  partisans  of  Boniface  and  those  of  Dioscorus.  The  third 
document  is  entitled,  "The  Paper  Which  the  60  Priests  Presented  to  Pope  Boniface 
after  the  Death  of  Dioscorus."  It  is  a  formula  of  repudiation  and  anathematization 
of  Dioscorus,  "  who  in  opposition  to  the  decree  of  your  (Boniface's)  predecessor.  Pope 
FelLx,  of  blessed  memory,  aspired  to  the  bishopric  of  the  Roman  church."  It  contains 
a  confession  of  error  in  having  espoused  the  cause  of  Dioscorus  and  a  promise  never 
again  to  be  guilty  of  such  wickedness.  It  closes  with  a  declaration  that  it  is  signed  by 
the  offender's  own  hand.  The  copies  of  this  instrument  deposited  by  Boniface  in  the 
Roman  church  were  burned  five  or  six  years  later  by  Pope  Agapitus.  Infra,  p.  144. 
It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  the  emperor  Justinian  in  551  used  the  condemnation 
of  Dioscorus  as  a  precedent  to  prove  that  it  was  lawful  to  anathematize  the  dead. 

*  The  basilica  of  Constantine  is,  of  course,  San  Giovanni  in  Laterano.  Duchesne 
thinks  that  the  basilica  of  Julius  is  not  Santa  Maria  in  Trastevere,  often  known  under 
this  title,  but  a  hall  in  the  Lateran  palace  which  also  bore  the  designation.  Op.  cit., 
p.  282,  n.  5. 

^  The  number  of  the  priests  who  adhered  to  Dioscorus  was  at  least  sixty,  as  may  be 
inferred  from  the   title  of    the  formula   of   repudiation   described  above.      Supra, 


BONIFACE    II  141 

ber  14.  Then  Boniface,  full  of  ambition  and  guile,  commanded 
with  much  bitterness  the  clergy  to  return  to  him  under  bond  of  an 
anathema  in  their  own  handwriting  and  the  anathema  in  their 
own  hand  he  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  church,  as  if  for  con- 
demn? tion  of  Dioscorus ;  and  he  gathered  the  clergy  together. 
Nevertheless  no  one  subscribed  to  his  episcopate,^  for  the  great 
majority  had  been  with  Dioscorus.^ 

He  gave  the  priests,  deacons,  subdeacons  and  notaries  plates  of 
metal  which  were  bequeathed  to  him  ^  and  succored  the  clergy  with 
lavish  alms  when  in  danger  of  famine.  He  held  a  synod  in  the 
basilica  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,^  and  made  a  decree  that  he 
should  ordain  his  own  successor.  This  decree  he  ratified  by  the 
signatures  of  the  priests  and  an  oath  before  the  confession  of  the 
apostle  Peter  and  he  appointed  the  deacon  Vigihus.  Then  a  second 
synod  of  all  the  priests  was  held  out  of  reverence  for  the  holy  see, 
because  the  decree  had  been  contrary  to  the  canons  and  because 
Boniface  repented  of  his  sin  in  that  he  wished  to  appoint  his  suc- 
cessor ;  and  Pope  Boniface  confessed  that  he  had  been  guilty  of 
sacrilege  and 

had  confirmed  | 

the  decree  with  his  own  signature  in  behalf  of  the  deacon  Vigilius 
and  before  the  confession  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  priests  and  clergy  and  senators  he  burned  the 
decree  with  fire. 

At  that  time  a  communication  came  from  the  bishops  of  Africa 


n.  3.  At  the  synod  of  499,  which  all  the  Roman  priests  would  naturally  have  attended, 
there  were  only  sixty-seven  present.  It  therefore  seems  clear  that  Dioscorus  was  the 
favorite  candidate  with  the  great  majority  of  the  clergy,  who  disliked  the  domination 
of  the  Goths.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  282,  n.  6. 

'  This  probably  means  that  Boniface  did  not  require  the  followers  of  Dioscorus  to 
sign  the  decree  attesting  his  election,  but  satisfied  himself  with  the  form  of  recanta- 
tion already  described. 

^  In  553  one  of  the  members  of  the  fifth  ecumenical  council  at  Constantinople  alluded 
to  Dioscorus  as  pope  and  cleclared  that  the  officials  in  Constantinople  had  been  in  com- 
munion with  him  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  283,  n.  10. 

^  A  letter  of  Gregory  the  Great  mentions  a  silver  plate  or  platter  (scutella),  which 
had  been  bequeathed  to  a  monastery.  Gregory  I,  Epistolce  II,  32 ;  Migne,  Pal.  Lat., 
vol.  77,  col.  569. 

*  The  Lib.  Pont,  is  the  only  source  for  the  following  events. 


142  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

regarding  their  government,  saying  also  that  the  bishop  of  Carthage 
would  in  every  act  take  counsel  of  the  apostolic  see.^ 

He  (Boniface)  also  was  buried  in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle,^ 


October  i8,  in  the       I  October    17,    in    the 
consulship  of  Lampa-  consulship  of  Lampa- 


dius  and  Orestes.^ 


dius. 


on  the  17  th  day  of 
the  month  of  October, 
in  the  consulship  of 
Lampadius. 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  2  months  and  15  days^ 

in  the  eleventh  indiction.  | 

LVIII.   John  II  (533-535) 
John, 
the  younger,  | 

who  was  also  called 

Mercurius,  |  Martyrius, 

by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Projectus,  from  the  Caelian  Hill," 

1  The  orthodox  church  of  Africa  had  been  given  its  freedom  by  the  Vandal  king  Hil- 
deric  in  523.  Supra,  p.  130  and  n.  3.  For  some  years  thereafter  it  was  divided  over 
certain  problems  of  reorganisation,  two  in  particular,  viz. :  the  character  and  extent 
of  the  primacy  of  the  see  of  Carthage  and  the  relation  of  that  see  to  the  bishopric  of 
Rome.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  pp.  xli,  283,  n.  13. 

2  His  epitaph  is  given  by  Duchesne.     Its  tone  is  different  from  that  of  our  text. 

.     .     .  "The  gentle  shepherd  reunited  his  divided  flock, 

Folding  again  his  distressed  sheep  as  the  enemy  fell ; 
With  meek  heart  he  abated  his  anger  against  the  suppliants 
And  overcame  all  wiles  by  the  simplicity  of  his  spirit." 

It  also  records  his  aid  to  the  city  in  a  year  of  famine.      Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  283,  n.  14. 

^  Lampadius  and  Orestes  were  consuls  in  530,  the  year  of  the  death  of  Felix  IV. 
Supra,  p.  13S.     Through  an  error  their  names  have  been  inserted  in  the  text  again  here. 

*  The  unusual  length  of  this  interregnum  was  apparently  due  to  a  series  of  scandal- 
ous party  intrigues  and  efforts  to  purchase  the  see  by  simony.  A  letter  of  King 
Athalaric  to  John  II  speaks  of  these  deplorable  machinations  and  says  that  during  their 
course  some  of  the  sacred  vessels  were  offered  for  public  sale.  The  Roman  senate 
about  this  time  issued  a  decree  to  the  effect  that  any  one  who  attempted  to  buy  the 
papacy  by  any  kind  of  bribery  should  be  considered  guilty  of  sacrilege.  Cassiodorus, 
VaricE,  IX,  15;  tr.  Hodgkin,  Letters  of  Cassiodorus,  pp.  398-400.  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
pp.  283-284,  n.  16. 

^  John  was  a  priest  of  San  Clemente  on  the  Caelian  Hill  before  his  elevation  to  the 
pontificate.     A  votive  inscription  still  existing  in  the  church  of  San  Pietro  in  VincoH 


JOHN   II,    AGAPITUS  143 

occupied  the  see  2  years,  4  months  and  6  days.  He  was  bishop  in 
the  time  of  King  Athalaric  ^  and  Justinian  Augustus, 

the  cathohc.  | 

In  his  time  the  emperor,  a  devout  man  and  ardent  lover  of  the 
Christian  rehgion,  sent  a  statement  of  his  faith,  written  in  his  own 
hand,  to  the  apostohc  see  by  the  bishops  Epatius  and  Demetrius.^ 

-!•  "I*  *T?  'I*  V  •!*  *(•  ^     3 

He  also  was  buried  in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,* 
May  27,  in  the  second  consulship  of  Lampadius.^ 
And  the  bishopric  was  empty  6  days. 

LIX.   Agapitus  (535-536) 

Agapitus,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  the  priest  Gordianus, 
one  of  the  clerg}^  of  the  church  of  Saints  John  and  Paul,^  occupied 
the  see 

gives  the  name  of  the  reigning  pope  as  John,  surnamed  Mercurius,  "promoted  from  the 
parish  church  of  San  Clemente  to  the  pontifical  glory."  The  present  choir  screen  and 
ambones  at  San  Clemente,  with  their  decorations  in  low  relief,  two  columns  and  a 
fragment  of  the  epistyle  of  the  ciborium  are  relics  of  the  gifts  of  John  to  the  basilica. 
His  monogram  may  be  seen  on  the  screen.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  285,  n.  i ; 
Frothingham,  Monuments,  pp.  74-75. 

1  Athalaric  died  in  534  and  was  succeeded  by  Theodatus  or  Theodahad,  of  whom 
v/e  shall  hear  more  under  the  ensuing  pontificates. 

2  The  disturbing  problem  of  the  dual  nature  of  Christ  had  been  raised  again  in  the 
East  by  a  monkish  party  who  inclined  to  the  Nestorian  view.  Supra,  p.  97,  n.  5. 
Justinian  sent  H>'patius  and  Demetrius,  bishops  of  Ephesus  and  Philippi  respectively, 
with  a  letter  to  the  pope  setting  forth  his  own  position  and  asking  to  have  it  approved. 
That  letter,  with  the  answer  of  the  pope  endorsing  it,  was  published  in  the  first  chapter 
of  the  first  book  of  the  Code  of  Justinian,  issued  in  November  534.  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
p.  285,  n.  3.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  113,  884,  8S5.  For  an  account  of  Justinian's  relations 
with  the  church  and  the  papacy  see  Cambridge  Med.  Hist.,  vol.  II,  pp.  43-49. 

^  List  of  gifts  from  Justinian.     List  of  ordinations. 

*  His  epitaph  is  given  by  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  286,  n.  4. 

*  These  dates  are  both  wrong.  John  II  died  May  8.  May  27  was  the  date  of  the 
burial  of  John  I.  The  second  consulship  of  Lampadius  fell  in  532.  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
p.  286,  n.  5. 

^  Gordianus  signed  his  name  to  the  proceedings  of  the  Roman  synod  of  499  as 
priest  of  Santi  Giovanni  e  Paolo  and  lost  his  life  in  501  during  the  disturbances  of  the 
pontificate  of  Symmachus.  His  house  stood  near  the  church  which  he  served  and  his 
son  Agapitus  founded  there  a  library  of  Greek  and  Latin  theology.  A  dedicatory 
inscription  was  painted  upon  the  wall  above  the  bookcases  and  the  frescoed  portraits 


144  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

II  months  and  i8  days.  [  8  months  and  lo  days. 

He,  at  the  opening  of  his  episcopate,  assembled  everyone  into 
a  church  and  burned  with  fire  the  book  of  the  anathema  which 
Boniface  in  anger  and  guile  had  extorted  from  the  priests  and 
bishops  contrary  to  the  canons  and  in  condemnation  of  Dioscorus, 
and  he  absolved  the  whole  church  from  the  guilt  of  perfidy.^ 

He  was  sent  by  Theodatus,  king  of  the  Goths,  on  an  embassy 
to  the  lord  emperor  Justinian,^  because  at  that  time  the  lord  em- 
peror Justinian  was  wroth  against  King  Theodatus  for  killing 
Queen  Amalasuenta,  daughter  of  King  Theodoric,  who  had  been 
put  under  the  protection  of  Justinian  and  who  had  made  Theodatus 
king.=^  Therefore  Agapitus  journeyed  to  Constantinople  ;  on  April 
22^  Agapitus,  the  bishop,  entered  Constantinople  and  was  received 
with  glory.*^    And  first  he  began  a  discussion  with  the  most  pious 

of  the  church  fathers.  The  inscription  was  copied  in  after  years  and  may  be  found  in 
Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  288,  n.  i.  Gregory  I  converted  the  house  into  a  monas- 
tery. 

1  Supra,  p.  140,  n.  3 ;  p.  141 .     This  episode  is  recorded  only  in  the  Lib.  Pont. 

2  Procopius  does  not  mention  the  embassy  of  the  pope  to  Constantinople  but  other 
chroniclers  of  the  period  refer  to  it.  In  the  Varia^  of  Cassiodorus  we  hear  that  the  pope, 
whose  revenues  were  scanty  at  this  hard  time,  was  forced  to  pawn  sacred  vessels  in 
order  to  raise  the  money  for  the  expedition.     Letters  of  Cassiodorus,  tr.  Hodgkin,  pp. 

510-511- 

3  Amalasuntha  was  the  mother  of  Athalaric  and  Theodahad  was  her  consort.     He 

resented  his  wife's  activity  and  energy  and  shut  her  up  on  an  island  in  the  lake  of 
Bolsena.     When  she  appealed  to  Justinian  he  had  her  strangled. 

*  Another  instance  of  the  transference  of  dates,  which  occurs  so  frequently  in  this 
part  of  the  Lib.  Pont.  This  date  is  given  again  below  as  the  date  of  the  death  of  Agapi- 
tus.    The  latter  passage  is  where  it  rightfully  belongs. 

5  "At  this  time  Theodatus,  king  of  the  Goths,  wrote  to  the  pope  and  to  the  senate 
at  Rome  and  threatened  to  put  not  only  the  senators  but  also  their  wives  and  sons  and 
daughters  to  the  sword,  unless  they  should  prevail  with  the  emperor  to  recall  from 
Italy  the  army  which  he  was  sending  against  him ;  and  the  pope  for  this  reason  under- 
took the  embassy  and  journeyed  to  Constantinople.  First  of  all  he  received  honorably 
the  men  whom  the  emperor  sent  to  him  but  refused  to  see  Anthemius  and  would  not 
accept  his  salutation ;  then  he  appeared  before  the  prince  and  pled  the  cause  of  the 
embassy  which  he  had  undertaken.  But  on  account  of  the  great  expense  to  the  treas- 
ury ifisc)  the  emperor  would  not  withdraw  from  Italy  the  army  which  he  was  sending 
and  he  refused  to  heed  the  supplications  of  the  pope."  Liberatus,  Breviarium,  21; 
Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  68,  col.  1039.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  114.  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
p.  288,  n.  6.  Liberatus  describes  the  deposition  of  Anthemius  by  Agapitus  on  the 
ground  not  only  of  unorthodoxy  but  also  of  irregular  transference  from  another  see. 
Our  own  author  passes  over  Agapitus'  failure  to  deter  the  emperor  from  sending 


AGAPITUS  145 

prince  and  emperor,  Lord  Justinian  Augustus,  concerning  the  faith. 
And  the  blessed  bishop  Agapitus  set  forth  most  steadfastly  the 
apostolic  doctrine  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  God  and  man,  that  is 
of  two  natures  in  one  Christ.  Then  a  contention  arose  but  the  Lord 
aided  Agapitus  and  he  found  the  bishop  of  Constantinople,  Anthe- 
mius  by  name,  to  be  a  heretic. 

And  when  the  contention  arose  between  Augustus  and  Agapitus, 

the  pope. 


the  emperor  Justinian  said  to  him  :  ''Either  you  agree  with  us  or  I 
dispatch  you  into  exile."  Then  the  most  blessed  pope  Agapitus 
answered  joyfully  and  said  to  the  emperor :  "I  indeed  am  a  sinner, 
yet  I  have  desired  to  come  unto  the  most  Christian  emperor,  Jus- 
tinian ;  now,  however,  I  have  found  Diocletian ;  nevertheless,  I 
fear  not  your  threats."  And  Agapitus,  the  venerable  pope,  said 
to  him  a  second  time:  "Notwithstanding,  that  you  may  know 
you  are  unworthy  of  the  Christian  faith,  bid  your  bishop  confess  the 
two  natures  in  Christ."  Then,  by  order  of  Augustus,  the  bishop  of 
Constantinople,  Anthemius  by  name,  was  summoned  and  the  argu- 
ment was  begun  but  in  response  to  the  questions  of  the  blessed  pope 
Agapitus  he  refused  to  confess  the  catholic  dogma  of  two  natures 
in  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  the  holy  pope  Agapitus  convicted 
him  of  error  and  was  glorified  by  all  the  Christians.  Then  the 
most  pious  emperor  Justinian  rejoiced  and  prostrated  himself 
before  the  apostoHc  see  and  adored  the  most  blessed  pope  Agapitus. 
And  straightway  he  expelled  Anthemius  from  the  communion  and 
sent  him  into  exile.  Then  the  most  pious  emperor  Justinian  asked 
of  the  most  blessed  pope  Agapitus  that  he  would  consecrate  in  place 
of  Anthemius  a  catholic  bishop,  by  name  Menas.^ 

Furthermore  Pope  Agapitus  obtained  all  that  he  had  been  sent 
to  request.^    But  after  some  days  he  fell  ill  and  died  at  Constanti- 

Belisarius  to  Italy  but  makes  much  of  his  achievement  in  upholding  orthodoxy  and 
ecclesiastical  discipline  in  the  Eastern  capital. 

1  The  Vatican  manuscript  4961  contains  a  copy  of  a  "Book  of  Menas,  priest  and 
head  of  the  hospice,  who  was  created  bishop  of  Constantinople,  March  13,  after  the 
second  consulship  of  the  distinguished  Paulinus,  the  younger  (536)."  Duchesne,  op. 
cit.,  p.  289,  n.  8. 

2  As  we  have  already  remarked,  Agapitus  failed  entirely  to  secure  what  Theodahad 
and  the  Romans  expected  of  him. 


146  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 

nople,  April  22.^    And  his  body  was  carried  in  a  leaden  coffin 
to  Rome,  I 

to  the  basihca  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  where  it  was  buried, 
September  20.^ 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *s 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  i  month  and  28  days. 

LX.     SiLVERIUS    (536-537) 

Silverius,  by  nationality  a  Campanian,  son  of  Hormisdas,  bishop 
of  Rome,^  occupied  the  see  i  year,  5  months  and  11  days.  He  was 
appointed  bishop  by  the  tyrant  Theodatus  without  discussion  of 
the  appointment.  For  Theodatus  had  been  corrupted  by  bribes 
and  he  terrified  the  clergy  so  that  they  beHeved  that  whoever  did 
not  support  the  ordination  of  Silverius  would  suffer  by  the  sword. 
Accordingly  the  priests  did  not  accept  him  in  the  ancient  way  and 
confirm  his  appointment  before  his  ordination;  but  after  he  had 
been  ordained  by  force  of  fear,  then  for  the  sake  of  the  unity  of  the 
church  and  of  the  faith,  when  the  ordination  was  ended,  the  priests 
accepted  Silverius.^ 

But  after  2  months  the  tyrant  Theodatus  perished  by  the  will 
of  God  and  King  Witiges  reigned.^     Then  Witiges  journeyed  to 

1  Before  Agapitus'  death  he  appointed  Pelagius,  his  deacon,  as  legate  to  represent 
the  Roman  church  at  the  imperial  court.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  289,  n.  10.  This 
Pelagius  figures  again  later.     Injra,  p.  159  ct  scq. 

2  His  epitaph  has  been  lost. 
^  List  of  ordinations. 

*  Supra,  p.  131,  n.  5. 

5  These  details  as  to  the  manner  of  Silverius'  elevation  are  found  only  in  the  Lib. 
Pont.  Liberatus  in  his  Brcvarium  (ch.  22)  tells  us  merely  that  the  city  of  Rome  chose 
Silverius,  a  subdeacon  and  son  of  the  former  pope  Hormisdas,  to  be  ordained  in  Agapi- 
tus' stead.  It  is  curious,  however,  that  the  choice  should  have  fallen  upon  one  so 
low  in  rank  as  a  subdeacon  if  there  were  no  pressure  from  outside  in  favor  of  Silverius, 
and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  Theodahad,  who  determined  the  fate  of  Pope  Agapitus, 
insisted  now  on  placing  his  own  candidate  in  the  papal  chair,  as  Theodoric  had  done  in 
the  case  of  FelLx  IV  after  the  death  of  John  I.  Supra,  p.  1 39.  The  tone  of  our  narrative, 
together  with  the  imputation  of  simony,  indicates  some  resentment  on  the  part  of  the 
Roman  clergy  against  the  Gothic  interference.     Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  293,  n.  2. 

«  Silverius  was  ordained  June  8,  536.  The  revolt  of  the  Gothic  armies,  which  set 
Vitiges  upon  the  throne,  took  place  probably  early  in  August. 


SILVERIUS  147 

Ravenna  and  by  violence  took  the  daughter  of  Queen  Amalasuenta 
to  be  his  wife.  But  thereupon  the  lord  emperor,  Justinian  Augustus, 
being  angry  because  Theodatus  had  murdered  the  queen  who  had 
been  put  under  his  protection,  sent  Vilisarius,^  the  patrician,  with 
an  arm.y  to  free  all  Italy  from  the  bondage  of  the  Goths.  And  the 
aforesaid  patrician  came  into  Sicily  and  abode 
there 


some  time. 

Then  he  heard  that  the  Goths  had  chosen  them  a  king  contrary 
to  the  will  of  Lord  Justinian  Augustus  and  he  marched  into  Cam- 
pania toward  the  city  of  Naples  and  began  to  besiege  the  city  with 
his  army,  because  the  citizens  of  Naples  refused  to  open  to  him.^ 
At  that  time  the  patrician  fought  against  the  city  and  entered  it ; 
and  in  his  fury  he  slew  both  the  Goths  and  all  the  inhabitants  of 
Naples  and  sacked  it  and  spared  not  even  the  churches  from  the 
sack.  He  killed  husbands  with  the  sword  in  the  presence  of  their 
wives  and  he  put  to  death  the  captive  sons  and  wives  of  the  nobles ; 
he  spared  none,  neither  priests  nor  servants  of  God  nor  consecrated 


virgins.^ 


Then  there  was  a  terrible  war,  for  Witiges  marched  against  the 
patrician  Vihsarius  and  against  the  city  of  Rome.  For  the  patri- 
cian Vilisarius  entered  the  city  of  Rome,  December  10,  and  he  sur- 
rounded the  city  with  guards  and  fortifications  and  walls  and 
repaired  the  trenches  and  strengthened  it.  The  very  night  when 
the  patrician  Vilisarius  entered,  the  Goths  who  were  in  the  city  or 
outside  the  walls  fled  and  left  all  the  gates  open  and  escaped  to 
Ravenna.^     Then  King  Witiges  collected  a  vast  army  of  the  Goths 

1  A  form,  of  course,  of  the  well-known  name  Belisarius.  It  is  also  spelt  Velisarius, 
Bisilarius,  etc.,  in  the  manuscripts.  For  Justinian's  determination  to  avenge  the  death 
of  Amalasuntha  see  supra,  p.  144.  On  Belisarius'  relations  with  the  Romans  see 
Gregorovius,  History  of  Rome,  tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  363-450. 

2  The  order  of  events  here  is  uncertain.  Procopius  and  the  continuator  of  the 
Chronicle  of  MarceUiniis  describe  the  siege  of  Naples  before  the  accession  of  Vitiges. 
Jordanes  does  the  same  in  the  Romana  but  in  the  Gctica  he  keeps  the  order  of  the  Lib. 
Pont.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  293,  n.  5. 

^  Procopius  says  that  the  Massagetae,  who  fought  in  the  army  of  Belisarius,  were 
chiefly  guilty  of  the  loot  and  sacrilege,  that  they  cut  down  even  the  inhabitants  who 
fled  to  the  churches  for  shelter  and  that  Belisarius  went  up  and  down  the  city  restrain- 
ing them.     De  Bella  Gothico,  I,  11 ;  ed.  Haury,  vol.  II,  pp.  58-62. 

^  Procopius  says  that  Belisarius  entered  Rome  by  the  gate  called  Asinaria  on  the 


148  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

and  marched  back  against  Rome,  February  21,  and  pitched  his 
camp  by  the  Molbian  bridge  ^  and  began  to  besiege  the  city  of 
Rome.  And  the  patrician  ViHsarius,  who  defended  the  Roman 
name,  shut  himself  up  within  the  city 

and  kept  the  city.  | 

In  those  days  the  city  was  besieged  so  that  no  man  might  go 
out  or  come  in.  And  all  the  buildings,  private  and  imperial  and 
ecclesiastic,  were  consumed  by  fire  and  men  died  by  the  sword ; 
some  perished  by  the  sword,  some  by  famine  and  some  by  pesti- 
lence.^ Likewise  the  churches  and  the  bodies  of  the  holy  martyrs 
were  destroyed  by  the  Goths.^  Within  the  city  there  was  a  great 
famine,  so  that  water  would  have  been  sold  for  a  price  if  the  springs 
had  not  furnished  deliverance.^  And  the  battles  were  fierce  about 
the  city.  In  those  days  the  patrician  Vihsarius  fought  against  King 
Witiges  and  the  host  of  the  Goths  and  defended  the  Romans  and 
with  his  army  saved  the  city  and  the  Roman  name.  Then  the  city 
and  the  harbor  of  Rome  were  besieged  one  year  by  the  Goths.'' 
But  the  patrician  Vilisarius  fought  and  conquered  the  Goths  and 
at  last,  after  one  year,  the  Goths  fled  to  Ravenna. 


same  day  that  the  Goths  marched  out  by  the  Flaminian  Gate.     De  Bella  Gothico,  I, 
14;  p.  77. 

1  The  Mulvian  bridge. 

2  Rome  had  suffered  in  the  fifth  century  from  barbarian  invasions  but  without  losing 
much  of  the  outer  semblance  of  her  grandeur.  With  this  terrible  siege  begins  the  real 
destruction  of  her  orderliness  and  beauty,  the  transformation  of  the  splendid  capital 
of  the  ancient  world  into  the  scarred,  crumbling,  poverty-stricken,  medieval  city  of  the 
popes.  Lanciani,  Destruction  of  Ancient  Rome,  pp.  70-71,  79-87.  Frothingham, 
Monuments,  pp.  76-85.   Gregorovius,  History  of  Rome,  tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  II,  passim. 

'  Duchesne  prints  selections  from  inscriptions  taken  from  martyrs'  tombs  and 
cemeteries  along  the  Via  Salaria,  where  the  Gothic  assaults  were  heaviest,  recording 
the  restoration  of  sacred  monuments  wrecked  or  damaged  by  the  enemy.  In  one  or 
two  cases  remains  have  been  found  both  of  the  original  epitaphs  shattered  by  the  Gothic 
soldiers  and  of  the  sixth  century  reproductions  of  the  originals  erected  to  fill  the  empty 
places.     Op.  cit.,  pp.  293-294,  n.  11. 

*  Procopius  tells  us  that  the  aqueducts,  which  ordinarily  gave  the  city  its  abundant 
supply  of  water,  were  cut  by  the  invaders  but  that  the  springs  within  the  walls  together 
with  the  stream  of  the  Tiber  furnished  enough  for  the  reduced  population.  De  Bello 
Gothico,  I,  19,  ed.  Haury,  vol.  II,  pp.  96-100.  Lanciani,  Destruction  of  Ancient  Rome, 
pp.  79-82. 

^  According  to  Procopius  the  siege  lasted  one  year  and  nine  days  and  ended  just 
before  the  vernal  equinox  of  538.     De  Bello  Gothico,  II,  10,  ed.  Haury,  vol.  II,  p.  192. 


SILVERIUS  149 

At  that  time  there  was  a  heavy  famine  throughout  the  whole 
world,  as  Datius,  bishop  of  the  city  of  Milan,  has  related  fully  in 
his  report,  so  that  in  Liguria  women  ate  their  own  children  for 
hunger  and  want ;  some  of  them,  he  has  said,  were  of  the  family 
of  his  own  church.^ 

At  that  time  the  patrician  Vilisarius  went  to  Naples  and  set  it  in 
order  and  afterwards  came  to  Rome.^  And  he  was  received  gra- 
ciously by  Lord  Silverius ;  ^  and  the  patrician  Vilisarius  removed 
to  the  Pincian  palace.  May  11,^  in  the  15th  indiction.  At  that 
time  Vigilius,  the  deacon,  was  delegate  to  Constantinople.     And 

1  Procopius  speaks  of  the  desolating  famine  that  fell  upon  Italy  in  538  and  of 
instances  of  cannibalism  due  to  starvation.  De  Bella  Gothico,  II,  20,  ed.  Haury,  vol.  II, 
pp.  236-239.  He  also  says  that  Datius,  bishop  of  Milan,  and  some  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  the  city  came  to  Rome  during  that  year  to  ask  of  Belisarius  a  small  force  of 
soldiers,  with  whose  aid  they  proposed  to  reestablish  the  imperial  government  in  the 
province  of  Liguria  and  to  drive  out  the  Goths.  During  his  stay  at  Rome  Datius  may 
have  reported  on  the  famine  in  his  diocese.  Belisarius  furnished  the  desired  support, 
but  in  spite  of  it  the  Goths  took  and  sacked  Milan  the  following  year.  Datius  es- 
caped and  fled  to  Constantinople,  where  he  died  in  552.  The  Varice  of  Cassiodorus 
contain  a  letter,  written  by  himself  as  pretorian  prefect  to  Datius  between  534  and  539, 
regarding  the  opening  of  granaries  for  the  relief  of  famine  sufferers.  Procopius,  ibid., 
II,  7;  pp.  180-185.     Letters  of  Cassiodorus,  tr.  Hodgkin,  pp.  521-522. 

2  With  this  sentence,  in  the  judgment  of  Duchesne,  begins  a  later  account  by  a  new 
writer  of  the  deposition  of  Pope  Silverius,  which  took  place  in  537,  before  the  Gothic 
siege  was  over.  Up  to  this  point,  in  his  opinion,  the  narrative  has  been  that  of  a  con- 
temporary, as  were  the  lives  of  the  popes  inmiediately  preceding.  It  is  vivid  and,  on 
the  whole,  accurate,  mentioning  often  details  which  are  given  by  no  other  history 
and  showing  intense  party  spirit  in  the  references  to  the  conflicts  between  the  Gothic 
and  imperial  parties.  It  is  hostile  to  Silverius  as  the  creature  of  Theodahad  and  is 
interested  less  in  strictly  ecclesiastical  questions  than  in  the  military  and  pohtical 
situation.  This  narrative  now  ceases  abruptly  and  the  history  of  the  pope  is  continued 
by  another  and  more  sympathetic  biographer  to  whom  the  recital  of  his  cruel  mis- 
fortunes seems  more  important  than  that  of  the  fall  of  cities.  The  first  sentence  in  this 
second  narrative  merely  recounts  again  the  events  already  more  fully  described,  the 
capture  of  Naples  and  the  coming  of  Belisarius  to  Rome.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  pp. 
xxxix-xl,  294,  n.  15.  Mommsen,  of  course,  is  convinced  that  our  seventh  century 
author  has  simply  been  making  use  of  two  different  sources  and  pieces  the  two  to- 
gether here.     Lib.  Pont.,  p.  xvii. 

3  Procopius  tells  us  that  Silverius  persuaded  the  Romans  to  open  their  gates  to 
Belisarius.     De  Bella  Gothico,  I,  14;  pp.  75-76. 

*  Another  instance  of  an  interpolated  date.  Belisarius  fixed  his  headquarters  at 
the  Pincian  palace  immediately  on  his  entry  into  Rome  toward  the  close  of  536.  Possi- 
bly the  name  of  the  month  here  has  been  changed  by  a  clerical  error  from  March  to 
May  and  the  date  is  really  that  of  Silverius'  deposition.  Vigilius  was  ordained  March 
29,  537.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  294,  n.  17. 


ISO  LIBER   PONTIFIC.^IS 

the  empress  was  vexed  for  the  patriarch  Anthemius,  because  he  had 
been  deposed  by  the  most  holy  pope  Agapitus,  who  had  found  him 
to  be  a  heretic  and  had  appointed  Menas,  the  servant  of  God,  in 
his  stead. ^  So  Augustus  took  counsel  with  Vigilius,  the  deacon, 
and  sent  a  letter  to  Rome  to  Pope  Silverius  with  the  request : 
"Be  not  slow  to  come  to  us  or  else  fail  not  to  restore  Anthemius 
to  his  place."  ^  And  when  the  blessed  Silverius  read  the  letter  he 
groaned  and  said :  "Now  I  know  that  this  affair  has  put  an  end  to 
my  life."  But  the  most  blessed  Silverius  had  trust  in  God  and  in 
blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  and  he  wrote  to  the  empress:  "Lady 
Augusta,  I  will  never  do  this  thing,  to  recall  a  heretic  condemned 
in  his  iniquity." 

Then  Augusta  was  wroth  and  she  sent  instructions  to  Vilisarius, 
the  patrician,  by  Vigilius,  the  deacon, 

as  follows :  | 

"Find  some  occasion  to  accuse  Pope  Silverius  and  depose  him 
from  the  bishopric  or  else  send  him  surely  and  speedily  to  us. 
See,  you  have  with  you  Vigilius,  the  archdeacon  and  legate,  our 
well  beloved,  who  has  promised  us  to  restore  the  patriarch  Anthe- 
mius." And  Vilisarius,  the  patrician,  received  the  instructions 
and  said:  "I  forsooth  will  perform  these  instructions;  but  as  for 
him  who  brings  about  the  overthrow  of  Pope  Silverius  he  shall 

'  The  intrigue  of  Theodora,  by  means  of  which  Silverius  was  deposed,  is  described 
by  Liberatus  even  more  minutely  than  it  is  here.  Liberatus  says  :  "Augusta  summoned 
Vigilius,  deacon  of  Agapitus,  and  asked  him  secretly  to  promise  her  that  if  he  were 
made  pope  he  would  annul  the  synod  of  Chalcedon,  where  the  dual  nature  of  Christ 
had  been  maintained,  and  would  write  to  Theodosius,  Anthemius  and  Severus  and  in 
his  letters  approve  their  faith,  and  she  offered  to  give  him  an  order  to  Belisarius  to  make 
him  pope  and  to  bestow  on  him  seven  hundred  thousand  sesterces.  So  Vigilius  gladly 
gave  his  promise,  desiring  the  bishopric  and  the  gold,  and  after  making  his  pledge  he 
went  to  Rome ;  but  when  he  arrived  there  he  found  that  Silverius  had  been  ordained 
pope.  Also  he  found  Belisarius  at  Ravenna  (this  should  be  Naples),  besieging  and 
capturing  the  city,  and  he  delivered  to  him  the  command  of  Augusta  and  promised 
to  give  him  two  hundred  thousand  sesterces  of  gold  if  he  would  remove  Silverius  and 
ordain  him  (Vigilius)  instead."  Breviariiim,  22;  Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  68,  col.  1039. 
Quoted  by  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  294,  n.  18. 

^  Liberatus  says  nothing  of  any  correspondence  between  Byzantium  and  Silverius. 
He  rather  gives  the  impression  that  Theodora  ignored  Silverius  and  his  ordination 
altogether  but  adds  that  Belisarius  and  his  wife  tried  to  persuade  Silverius  to  do  what 
the  empress  demanded,  implying  that  she  cared  little  who  was  pope  so  long  as  Anthe- 
mius was  reinstated.     Breviariiim,  22;   Migne,  ibid.,  col.  1040. 


SILVERIUS  151 

render  an  accotint  of  his  deeds  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  ^  And 
certain  false  witnesses,  encouraged  by  these  instructions,  came 
forward  and  said:  "We  have  found  Pope  Silverius  sending  letters 
to  the  king  of  the  Goths,  saying :  '  Come  to  the  gate  which  is 
called  the  Asinaria,  near  the  Lateran,  and  I  will  deliver  to  you  the 
city  and  Vilisarius,  the  patrician.'"  And  Vilisarius,  the  patrician, 
heard  this  and  did  not  believe  it ;  for  he  knew  that  it  was  spoken  out 
of  malice.  Nevertheless,  since  many  persisted  in  that  same  accu- 
sation, he  was  afraid. 

Then  he  bade  Pope  Silverius  come  to  him  in  the  Pincian  palace 
and  he  had  all  the  clergy  wait  at  the  first  and  second  portals.^ 
And  Silverius  went  alone  with  Vigilius  into  the  mausoleum  and 
Antonina,  the  patrician,  was  lying  upon  a  couch  and  Vilisarius,  the 
patrician,  was  sitting  at  her  feet.     And  when  Antonina, 

the  patrician,  ] 

saw  him  she  said  to  him:  "Tell  us,  Lord  Pope  Silverius,  what  we 
have  done  to  you  and  to  the  Romans  that  you  should  wish  to  be- 
tray us  into  the  hands  of  the  Goths."  While  she  was  yet  speaking 
John,  the  subdeacon  of  the  first  district,  took  the  pallium  from  his 
neck  and  carried  it  into  an  inner  chamber  and  stripped  him  of  his 
vestments  and  put  on  him  a  monk's  robe  and  led  him  into  hiding. 
Then  Xystus,  the  subdeacon  of  the  sixth  district,  when  he  saw  him 
as  a  monk,  went  outside  and  proclaimed  to  the  clergy  that  the  lord 
pope  had  been  deposed  and  had  become  a  monk.  And  when 
they  heard  it  they  all  fled.     But  Vigihus,  the  archdeacon,  took 

1  The  Lib.  Pont,  represents  Belisarius  as  feeling  more  compunction  than  Liberatus 
ascribes  to  him.  The  latter  says:  "Belisarius  returned  to  Rome  and  summoned 
Silverius  to  the  palace  and  accused  him  calumniously  on  the  ground  that  he  had  written 
to  the  Goths  that  they  might  enter  Rome.  And  it  was  reported  that  one  Marcus,  a 
clerk,  and  one  Julianus,  a  pretorian,  had  composed  fraudulent  letters  under  the  name  of 
Silverius  and  addressed  them  to  the  king  of  the  Goths,  by  means  of  which  Silverius  was 
convicted  of  the  intention  to  betray  the  city  of  Rome."  Brcviarium,  22;  Migne,  ibid. 
Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  116. 

^  Liberatus  says  that  Silverius  first  took  refuge  in  the  basilica  of  Santa  Sabina 
but  that  Photius,  son  of  Antonina,  prevailed  upon  him  to  come  to  the  palace,  pledging 
his  safety  by  an  oath.  Silverius'  companions  urged  him  "not  to  believe  the  oaths  of 
the  Greeks"  but  he  went  and  returned  safely  that  day.  Again  Belisarius  commanded 
him  to  appear  and  he  prayed  and  committed  his  cause  to  the  Lord  and  went  and  was 
never  seen  again  by  his  friends.  The  scene  inside  the  palace  is  described  only  in  the 
Lib.  Pont.     Breviarium,  22;  Isilignt,  ibid. 


152  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

Silverius  as  if  in  his  own  charge,  and  sent  him  into  exile  to  Pontias 
and  fed  him  with  the  bread  of  tribulation  and  the  water  of  bitter- 
ness. And  he  fell  ill  and  died  a  confessor.^  And  he  was  buried 
in  that  place,  June  20,  and  a  multitude  of  those  who  were  diseased 
came  to  his  sepulchre  and  were  healed.^ 

*j5  ?|*  *|»  *|*  ?|*  *^  *^  ^^    ^ 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty .^ 

^  The  Lib.  Pont,  omits  here  some  interesting  details  of  Silverius'  latter  days.  He 
was  sent  first  into  exile  not  to  Ponza,  where  he  was  in  the  power  of  Vigilius,  but  to 
Patara,  a  city  of  Lycia.  The  bishop  of  Patara  took  up  his  cause  and  went  himself  to 
the  emperor,  declaring  that  it  was  wrong  to  expel  the  bishop  of  the  mighty  Roman  see, 
"  that  there  were  many  kings  in  the  world  but  not  one  who  was  unique  like  the  pope, 
who  ruled  the  church  of  all  the  world  and  had  been  driven  from  his  see."  The  emperor 
was  moved  by  this  argument  and  ordered  a  fresh  trial  and  a  reexamination  of  the  forged 
letters.  Silverius  was  brought  back  to  Italy,  but  before  the  trial  could  be  held  Vigilius, 
in  dread  of  losing  his  position,  sent  word  to  Belisarius :  "Deliver  Silverius  to  me; 
otherwise  I  cannot  perform  what  you  expect  of  me."  So  Silverius  was  turned  over  to 
the  guards  of  Vigilius,  who  transported  him  to  the  island  of  "Palmaria,"  where  he 
died  of  starvation.  Thus  Liberatus.  Breviarium,  22;  Migne,  ibid.  Procopius  in  his 
Secret  History  says  that  Antonina,  wife  of  Belisarius,  the  pliant  tool  of  Theodora,  was 
instrumental  in  bringing  about  Silverius'  death  before  he  could  be  tried  a  second  time. 
Ch.  I;  ed.  Dindorf,  pp.  13-16.  The  guilt  seems  to  rest  partly  upon  her  and  partly 
upon  Vigilius.  The  islands  of  Pontiae,  now  called  Ponza,  are  in  the  Tuscan  Sea.  One 
of  the  group  is  named  Palmaria.     Duchesne,  o/>.  c//.,  p.  295,  nn.  21,  22. 

^  The  remains  of  Silverius  were  never  moved  from  Palmaria.  No  other  notice  of 
veneration  paid  to  him  at  Rome  is  known  to  exist  earlier  than  the  martyrology  of 
Peter  de  Natalibus,  which  was  drawn  up  in  1371.  For  the  reference  cf.  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  29s,  n.  23. 

^  List  of  ordinations. 

*  There  was  perhaps  some  doubt  in  the  mind  of  our  author  as  to  the  time  when 
Silverius'  pontificate  ended,  whether  with  his  deposition  or  with  his  death.  Therefore 
he  does  not  give,  as  is  usually  the  case,  the  exact  duration  of  the  vacancy  in  the  papal 
see. 

It  may  be  urged  by  some  historians  that,  if  the  translation  of  the  Liber  Pontifi- 
calis  is  to  be  broken  at  all,  the  break  should  occur  here.  See  first  note  on  the 
following  page.  Since,  however,  the  question  of  the  sources  for  the  following 
pontificates  is  at  best  obscure,  it  seems  better  for  practical  purposes  to  carry  the  text 
through  to  the  pontificate  of  Gregory  I,  as  that  important  date  in  papal  history  is  sa 
close  at  hand.     [Ed.] 


VIGILIUS  153 


LXI.   ViGiLius  (537-555) 

Vigilius,^  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  John,  the  consul,^ 
occupied  the  see  17  years,  6  months  and  26  days.  At  that  time 
Vilisarius,  the  patrician,  made  war  on  Witiges,  king  of  the  Goths. 
And  the  king  fled  by  night  and  John,  the  master  of  the  soldiery, 
who  was  surnamed  the  Bloody,  pursued  after  him  and  he  seized 
him  and  brought  him  to  Vilisarius  and  to  Vigilius  at  Rome.^  Then 
they  pledged  him  their  oaths  in  the  basihca  of  Julius  that  they 
would  conduct  him  safely  to  the  emperor  Justinian.'*  And  when 
they  had  brought  him  to  Constantinople  the  emperor  rejoiced  and 
created  him  patrician  and  count  and  sent  him  into  the  borders  of 


*  Duchesne  believes  that  with  the  biography  of  Silverius  we  come  to  the  end  of  the 
first  recension  of  the  Lib.  Pont.,  and  that  with  Vigihus  we  begin  the  first  continuation. 
At  a  casual  glance  the  account  of  Vigilius  seems  as  likely  to  be  contemporary  work  as 
that  of  Silverius.  On  examination,  however,  it  is  found  to  be  full  of  inaccuracies  and 
mistakes.  For  example,  the  two  occupations  of  Rome  by  Totila  in  546  and  549  are 
treated  as  one.  The  defeat  of  the  Vandals  by  Belisarius  in  533-534  is  confused  with 
the  suppression  of  the  revolt  of  Guntarith  in  547.  Other  errors  are  pointed  out  in  the 
notes.  The  lives  of  Pelagius  I  and  John  III  contain  further  slips.  In  the  latter  the  two 
Prankish  expeditions  of  552  and  562  are  combined  into  one.  Duchesne  argues  that  the 
author  of  the  four  biographies  after  Silverius  did  not  write  earlier  than  the  time  of 
Pelagius  II.  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  pp.  ccxxxi-ccxxxii.  Mommsen  rejoins  that  the  style 
of  all  the  sixth  century  lives  is  too  barbarous  to  have  been  employed  by  a  church 
official  of  the  age  of  Theodoric  and  that  the  inaccuracies  in  the  first  portion,  while  not 
so  numerous  as  those  in  the  second,  are  frequent  enough  to  make  it  improbable  that 
they  were  the  work  of  a  contemporary.     Lib.  Pont.,  p.  xvii. 

2  The  father  of  Vigilius  may  have  been  an  honorary  or  codicillary  consul.  There 
are  no  consuls  for  the  West  listed  in  the  Fasti  by  the  name  of  John  during  this  period. 
Vigilius'  brother,  Reparatus,  was  among  the  Roman  hostages  sent  to  Ravenna  by 
Vitiges  in  536  and  barely  escaped  death  when  in  the  following  year  Vitiges  dispatched 
orders  to  Ravenna  to  have  the  hostages  massacred.  Procopius,  Liberatus  and  Mar- 
cellinus  all  state  that  Vigilius  was  ordained  pope  through  the  influence  of  Belisarius. 
Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  299,  n.  i.    Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  117. 

3  The  text  is  faulty  in  the  part  it  assigns  to  John,  "magister  militum."  He  had 
been  fighting  in  the  North  and  was  pushing  down  at  this  time  toward  Ravenna. 
His  advance  forced  Vitiges  to  withdraw  his  army  from  the  attack  on  Rome  and 
fall  back  to  protect  Ravenna.  He  surrendered  there  in  539  to  Belisarius,  not  to 
John. 

*  There  is  no  other  record  of  this  interview.  It  is  possible  that  Belisarius  brought 
Vitiges  to  Rome  and  took  ship  at  Porto  for  the  East.  The  basilica  of  Julia  is  un- 
doubtedly the  great  hall  of  the  Lateran  palace,  used  for  state  receptions  and  other 
ceremonies.    Supra,  p.  140  and  n.  4.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  300,  n.  3. 


154  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

Persia,  where  he  died.^  The  emperor  also  asked  Vilisarius  how  he 
himself  fared  with  the  Romans  and  how  he  had  set  Vigihus  in  the 
place  of  Silverius.  Then  the  emperor  and  Augusta  thanked 
Vilisarius  and  conferred  authority  upon  him  and  sent  him  back 
into  Africa 

against  Gundarit,  king  of  the 
Vandals,  that  he  might  do  in 
Africa  what  he  had  done  in 
Italy.2 

And  Vihsarius  went  into  Africa  under  pretext  of  peace  and 
slew  Guintarit,  king  of  the  Vandals,  and  brought  Africa  into  sub- 
mission to  the  empire.  Then  Vilisarius,  the  patrician,  came  to 
Rome  and  offered  to  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  by  the  hand  of 
Pope  Vigihus  out  of  the  spoils  of  the  Vandals  a  golden  cross,  set 
with  jewels,  weighing  loo  lbs., 

inscribed  with  |  on  which  he  inscribed 

his  victories,^  and  2  large,  gilded, 
silver  | 

candelabra,  which  stand  to  this  day  before  the  body  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle.  He  gave  likewise  many  other  gifts  and  alms  to  the 
poor.  For  Vihsarius,  the  patrician,  built  a  hospice  on  the  Via 
Lata  *  and  on  the  Via  Flaminia,  near  the  town  of  Hortas,  he  estab- 
lished a  monastery  of  Saint  Juvenal,  which  he  endowed  with  lands 
and  many  gifts.^ 

1  Procopius  does  not  say  that  Vitiges  was  sent  to  Persia  but  that  Belisarius  was 
commissioned  to  carry  on  the  Persian  war.  De  Bello  Gothico,  III,  i ;  ed.  Haury,  vol. 
II,  p.  297. 

2  Our  author  here  confuses  Belisarius'  expedition  against  the  Vandals  in  533  with 
the  suppression  of  the  revolt  of  Guntarith  by  Artabanes  in  547.  Belisarius  at  this  time 
was  in  Italy,  defending  Rome  against  the  assault  of  Totila.  Guntarith  was  assassi- 
nated by  order  of  Artabanes. 

3  Belisarius'  cross  is  mentioned  again  in  the  life  of  Stephen  V.  It  was  saved  from 
the  sack  of  the  papal  residence  in  885.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  300,  n.  6. 

*  The  church  of  Santa  Maria  di  Trevi,  near  the  fountain  of  Trevi,  was  known  in  the 
Middle  Ages  as  Santa  Maria  in  Xenodochio,  because  it  adjoined  the  hospice  of  Belisa- 
rius. A  tablet,  bearing  an  early  inscription  referring  to  the  hospice,  may  still  be  seen 
embedded  in  the  outer  wall  of  the  church.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  300,  n.  7. 

5  St.  Juvenal  was  the  first  bishop  of  Narni,  a  town  eight  miles  from  Hortse  or  Orta. 
There  was  a  church  of  St.  Juvenal  in  Orta  as  late  as  the  sixteenth  century.  Duchesne, 
op.  cit.,  p.  300,  n.  8. 


VIGILIUS  155 

Then  Theodora  Augusta  wrote  to  Pope  Vigilius :   "Come,  ful- 
fill for  us  what  you  promised  of  your 


own 

freewill  concerning  our  father  Anthemius  and  restore  him  to  his 

office."  ' 

But  Vigilius  replied:  "Far  be  this  from  me,  Lady  Augusta. 
I  spoke  beforetime  wrongly  and  foohshly;  now  I  do  assuredly 
refuse  to  restore  a  man  who  is  a  heretic  and  under  the  anathema. 
Although  unworthy,  I  am  the  vicar  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle, 
as  were  my  predecessors,  the  most  holy  Agapitus  and  Silverius, 
who  condemned  him." 

Then  the  Romans  brought 

an  accusation  I  their  accusations 

against  Vigihus,  because  he  had  advised  the  deposition  of  the  blessed 
pope  Silverius :  "We  accuse  him  to  your  Hohness  for  he  has  done 
ill  to  your  servants,  the  Romans,  and  to  their  people.  We  declare 
him  to  be  a  murderer,  for  he  abandoned  himself  to  rage  and  struck 
his  notary  a  blow  which  felled  him  straightway  to  his  feet  where  he 
died.  Also  he  gave  his  niece,  Vigiha,  to  the  consul  Asterius,  son 
of  a  widow  woman;    then,  making  an  occasion,  he  had  Asterius 

1  Our  author  has  probably  misrepresented  the  demand  made  upon  Vigilius  by  the 
Monophysite  party  at  the  imperial  court.  It  is  true  that  through  their  influence 
Vigilius  had  secured  his  office  and  that  they  undoubtedly  expected  of  him  some  return 
in  the  way  of  endorsement  of  their  peculiar  views  of  the  nature  of  Christ  and  of  dis- 
paragement, if  not  denunciation,  of  the  Council  of  Chalcedon  and  the  Tome  of  Leo. 
Supra,  p.  98,  n.  I ;  p.  106,  n.  2.  That  they  required  the  reinstatement  of  Anthemius 
seems  unlikely.  His  condemnation  by  Agapitus  had  been  ratified  by  a  synod  held  at 
Constantinople  in  536  and  by  an  edict  of  Justinian.  Menas,  who  held  the  bishopric, 
was  in  high  favor  with  the  emperor.  Supra,  p.  145-  Jaffe  gives  a  letter  purporting  to 
have  been  written  by  Vigilius  to  Anthemius  and  other  bishops  of  the  heterodox  party, 
professing  his  secret  agreement  with  them  but  asserting  the  necessity  of  keeping  the 
fact  hidden,  "so  that  I  may  more  readily  perform  and  achieve  the  things  which  I 
have  undertaken."  A  declaration  of  faith,  however,  drawn  up  at  about  the  same 
time,  perhaps  to  satisfy  suspicion  at  Rome,  and  letters  to  Justinian  and  Menas  all 
explicitly  and  solemnly  protest  the  pope's  orthodoxy  and  loyalty  to  the  acts  of  his 
predecessors  and  the  Council  of  Chalcedon.  Regesta,  p.  118,  908,  909,  910,  911. 
Unless  Vigilius  be  regarded  as  an  absolutely  unscrupulous  doubledealer,  the  letter  to 
Anthemius  must  be  classed  as  a  forgery.  It  might  easily  have  been  concocted  by  some 
of  his  opponents  who  desired  to  avenge  his  treatment  of  Silverius.  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
p.  300,  n.  9. 


156  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

seized  by  night  and  beaten  until  he  died."  ^  And  when  Augusta 
heard  this  she  sent  Anthemius,  the  scribe,  with  orders  and  great 
authority  to  Rome,  saying:  "If  you  find  him  in  the  basiHca  of 
Saint  Peter,  let  him  go.  But  if  you  find  VigiHus  in  the  Lateran  or 
in  the  palace  or  in  any  other  church,  set  him  immediately  upon  a 
ship  and  bring  him  to  us.  Else,  by  Him  who  Kveth  forever,  I  will 
have  you  flayed."  ^  And  Anthemius,  the  scribe,  came  to  Rome  and 
found  Vigihus  in  the  church  of  Saint  CeciHa,  November  22;  for 
it  was  her  birthday ;  ^  and  Anthemius  took  him  while  he  was  dis- 
tributing gifts  to  the  people  and  brought  him  down  to  the  Tiber 
and  set  him  on  a  ship.  The  people  and  the  multitude  followed  him, 
calHng  out  that  they  would  have  a  prayer  from  him.  And  when 
he  had  spoken  a  prayer,  all  the  people 

said:  |  answered: 

"Amen";  and  the  ship  began  to  move.  The  Romans  saw  that 
the  ship  in  which  Vigilius  was  seated  had  begun  to  move  and 
then  the  people  commenced  to  throw  stones  after  him  and  sticks 
and  dirty  vessels  and  to  cry  out:  "Your  hunger  go  with  you! 
Your  pestilence  go  with  you  !  ^  You  have  done  evil  to  the  Romans ; 
may  you  find  evil  where  you  go !"  Yet  some  who  loved  him  fol- 
lowed him  from  the  church. 

And  when  he  reached  Sicily  and  the  city  of  Catania,  he  was 
allowed  to  hold  an  ordination  of  priests  and  deacons  in  the  month 
of  December.  Of  these  he  sent  back  to  Rome  Amphatus,  the 
priest  and  his  vicar,  and  Valentinus,  bishop  of  Saints  Rufina  and 
Secunda,  to  guard  the  Lateran  and  preside  over  the  clergy.^     Then 

1  There  is  no  other  account  of  the  accusation  i^ainst  Vigilius  and  we  know  nothing 
of  the  incidents  herein  mentioned. 

2  The  circumstances  of  Vigilius'  departure  from  Rome  are  described  nowhere  else. 
Other  historians  say  simply  that  he  was  summoned  by  the  emperor  and  forcibly  com- 
pelled to  go.  Only  one  adds  that  all  Rome  drove  him  out  by  public  acclamation. 
Facundus,  Defensio  Trium  Capitum,  IV,  3 ;   Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  67,  col.  624. 

3  November  22  is  the  day  of  the  festival  of  Santa  Cecilia  in  Trastevere.  The 
gifts,  "munera,"  here  noted  Duchesne  understands  to  be  the  eucharistic  wafers.  Op. 
cit.,  p.  300,  nn.  12  and  13. 

*  Vigilius  left  Rome  in  544  or  545.  At  that  time  Totila  had  already  begun  to 
reduce  the  city  by  cutting  off  supplies.  In  543  a  severe  pestilence  had  swept  over  the 
disordered  country.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  300,  n.  14.     Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  119. 

5  The  word  here  translated  vicar  is  "  vicedominus"  or  "  vidame,"  later  a  feudal  title. 
Ducange,  Glossarium,  Vicedominus.    The  basilica  of  Sante  Rufina  e  Seconda  stood 


VIGILIUS  157 

he  bade  them  all  farewell  and  arrived  at  Constantinople  on  the 
vigils  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  emperor  came  to  meet  him 
and  they  kissed  each  other  and  began  to  weep.  And  the  people 
sang  psalm.s  before  him  to  the  church  of  Saint  Sophia:  "Lo  he 
Cometh,  the  Lord,  the  Lord,"  etc.  Then  for  two  years  there  were 
dissensions  over  Anthemius,  the  patriarch,  how  Vigilius  had 
promised  and  had  pledged  with  his  hand  to  restore  him  to  his  place.^ 
But  Vigilius  would  not  yield  to  them  but  preferred  to  die  virtu- 
ously than  to  live.  And  Pope  Vigilius  said:  "I  perceive  that  it 
was  not  the  devout  princes,  Justinian  and  Theodora,  who  sum- 
moned me  to  them ;  rather  I  know  to-day  that  I  have  met  Dio- 
cletian and  Eleutheria.^     Do  with  me  as  you  will ;   I  am  receiving 

formerly  on  the  Via  Cornelia,  not  far  from  the  Vatican.  The  foundation  was  laid  by 
Pope  Julius  I  and  the  building  was  completed,  if  tradition  be  correct,  by  Pope  Damasus. 
Procopius  gives  us  further  information  regarding  the  journey  of  Vigilius'  envoys  back 
to  Rome.  They  embarked  with  a  convoy  of  vessels  filled  with  food  for  the  relief  of  the 
suffering  population  of  the  city  but  at  the  entrance  to  the  Tiber  the  fleet  was  captured 
by  the  Goths  and  the  bishop  Valentinus  was  brought  before  Totila  for  examination. 
The  king  for  some  reason  suspected  that  the  bishop  was  answering  his  questions  falsely 
and  cut  off  both  his  hands.  De  Bello  Gothico,  III,  15  ;  ed.  Haury,  vol.  II,  pp.  360-361. 
In  554,  when  Vigilius  left  Constantinople,  the  archdeacon  Pelagius  seems  to  have  been 
performing  the  functions  of  the  head  of  the  church.     Infra,  p.  159. 

'As  has  been  said  before  {supra,  p.  155,  n.  i),  the  struggle  was  not  to  induce 
Vigilius  to  restore  Anthemius  but  to  effect  a  compromise  with  the  Monophysite  party 
in  general.  Justinian  had  already  yielded  to  them  and  to  the  empress  so  far  as  to  issue 
an  edict  denouncing  three  Nestorian  writers,  Theodore  of  Mopsuestia,  Theodoret  and 
Ibas,  who  the  Monophysites  claimed  had  received  the  tacit  approval  of  the  Council  of 
Chalcedon.  Justinian  took  the  step  in  the  hope  of  thereby  prevailing  upon  the  party 
to  accept  the  decrees  of  the  council  and  of  restoring  harmony  to  the  church.  The  edict 
was  accepted,  though  reluctantly,  by  most  of  the  orthodox  Eastern  bishops  but  met 
with  determined  resistance  in  the  West,  where  any  concession  to  Eutychianism  was 
regarded  as  direct  heresy.  Vigilius  was  commanded  in  Constantinople  to  give  the  edict 
his  approval.  He  resisted  stubbornly  for  a  while,  knowing  that  such  an  act  would 
ruin  his  position  at  Rome.  But  at  length,  in  548,  he  issued  a  document,  commonly 
called  the  Judicatum,  anathematizing  the  three  Nestorians  but  stoutly  maintaining  his 
adherence  to  the  Council  of  Chalcedon.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  121,  922.  He  was  not 
allowed  to  return  home  but  was  detained  in  the  East  until  the  meeting  of  the  council 
convened  at  his  suggestion  by  Justinian  in  533.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  p.  121.  The  council 
supported  the  emperor  and  found  Vigilius'  position  unsatisfactory.  His  banishment 
apparently  was  the  result  of  his  appearance  before  it.  Jaffe,  ibid.,  p.  123,  935.  The 
controversy  over  the  condemnation  of  the  three  Nestorian  writers  is  known  as  that 
of  the  Three  Chapters.  It  brought  about  a  new  schism  between  East  and  West,  which 
lasted  seventy  years. 

2  The  words  are  copied  from  the  biography  of  Pope  Agapitus.  Supra,  p.  145.  It  is 
not  known  that  Diocletian  had  a  wife  Eleutheria. 


158  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

the  reward  of  my  deeds."  Thereupon  one  struck  him  in  the  face, 
saying :  "Murderer,  do  you  not  know  to  whom  you  speak?  do  you 
not  know  that  you  slew  Pope  Silverius  and  killed  the  son  of  a  widow 
woman  with  kicks  and  blows?"  Then  he  fled  to  the  basilica  of 
Saint  Euphemia  and  laid  hold  of 

a  column  I  a  horn 

of  the  altar.^  But  he  was  dragged  away  from  it  and  cast  outside 
the  church  and  a  rope  was  put  about  his  neck  and  they  haled  him 
through  all  the  city  until  evening  and  then  thrust  him  into  prison 
and  gave  him  a  Httle  bread  and  water.  And  the  Roman  clergy 
who  were  with  him  were  sent  into  exile  to  work  in  different 
mines. 

At  that  time  the  Goths  chose  for  their  king  Badua,  who  was 
called  Totila.^  He  descended  upon  Rome  and  besieged  it;  and 
there  was  a  famine  in  the  city  of  Rome  so  that  the  people  ate  their 
own  children.  And  one  day  he  made  an  entrance  into  Rome  by 
the  gate  of  St.  Paul,  in  the  13th  indiction.^  All  night  long  he  had 
the  trumpet  blown  until  every  inhabitant  fled  or  concealed  himself 
in  the  churches,  for  fear  that  the  Romans  would  perish  by  the 
sword.  But  the  king  dwelt  with  the  Romans  as  a  father  with  his 
sons.  Then  some  of  the  senators,  Citheus,  Albinus  and  Basilius, 
patricians  and  exconsuls,  went  to  Constantinople  and  appeared 
before  the  emperor  in  their  distress  and  desolation.^    And   the 

1  This  account  of  the  maltreatment  of  Vigilius  is  partly  legendary.  The  actual 
facts  are  given  in  some  detail  in  an  encyclical  letter  written  by  himself  in  552  relating 
his  sufferings.  Mansi,  Amplissima  CollecHo,  vol.  IX,  p.  50.  Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  69, 
col.  53.  It  is  true  that  Vigilius  was  dragged  from  an  altar  but  the  incident  occurred  in 
the  church  of  St.  Peter  in  Hormisda  in  Constantinople.  Later  he  fled  for  refuge  to  the 
church  of  St.  Euphemia  in  Chalcedon. 

2  Totila  had  become  king  before  the  departure  of  Vigilius.  He  is  called  Badua 
and  Baduila  in  other  chronicles.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  301,  n.  24. 

'  Our  author  here  confounds  the  two  sieges  of  Rome  by  Totila  in  546  and  in  549. 
The  date  given,  the  13th  indiction  (549-550),  and  the  entering  by  the  gate  of  San  Paolo 
belong  to  the  second  siege  but  the  severe  famine  and  the  flight  of  the  patricians  were 
features  of  the  first.  On  these  events  see  Gregorovius,  History  of  Roftie,  tr.  Hamilton, 
vol.  I,  pp.  451-476. 

*  Procopius  says  that  on  the  night  that  Totila  entered  Rome  in  546  the  patricians 
Decius,  Basilius  and  others  escaped  from  the  city  in  the  train  of  Bessas,  the  commander 
of  the  Byzantine  garrison.  Cethegus,  the  leader  of  the  senate,  had  retired  to  Centum- 
cellae  earlier  under  suspicion  of  favoring  the  Gothic  party.  De  Bella  Gothico,  III,  13 
and  20 ;   ed.  Haury,  pp.  349,  384. 


VIGILIUS  159 

emperor  comforted  them  and  enriched  them  as  befitted  Roman 
consuls. 

Thereupon  the  emperor  Justinian  sent  Narses,  the  eunuch  and 
his  chamberlain,  into  Italy.     And  he  gave  battle  to  the  Goths  and 


God   awarded  him   the  victory 
and  the  king  was  slain 


won    the    victory    and    Totila, 
king  of  the  Goths,  was  killed 


and  a  multitude  of  the  Goths  were  killed  also.^     Then 
the  assembled  clergy  I   the  Romans 

asked  Narses  that  with  his  consent  they  might  request  the  prince 
that,  if  Pope  Vigilius  still  lived  and  the  priests  and  deacons  and 
clergy  who  had  been  sent  into  exile  with  Vigilius,  they  might 
return  home.  And  when  the  emperor  received  the  report  of 
Narses  and  of  the  whole  Roman  clergy,  he  rejoiced  and  all  his 
senate  because  God  had  given  rest  to  the  Romans.^  And  imme- 
diately the  emperor  sent  instructions  to  the  divers  places  whither 
the  exiles  had  been  transported,  to  Gypsum  and  Proconisius,^  and 
he  summoned  them  before  him  and  said  :  "Are  you  willing  to  ac- 
cept Vigilius,  who  was  your  pope?  I  thank  you.  If  not,  you  have 
here  your  archdeacon  Pelagius  and  my  hand  will  be  with  you." 
They  all  replied:  "May  God  direct  your  Holiness!  Restore  to 
us  now  Vigilius  and  when  God  wills  that  he  shall  pass  from  this 
world  then  let  Pelagius,  our  archdeacon,  be  given  to  us  according 
to  your  command."     Then  he  sent  them  all  away. 

1  Totila  was  defeated  and  killed  in  the  battle  of  Tegina  or  Tadini  in  Tuscany  in  552 
and  Rome  was  reoccupied  finally  by  the  imperial  forces.  The  following  year,  553, 
Teias,  successor  of  Totila,  was  slain  in  the  battle  of  Vesuvius  and  the  long  contest  of 
Ostrogoths  and  Byzantines  for  the  possession  of  Italy  was  ended. 

2  The  story  of  the  restoration  of  Vigilius  savors  somewhat  of  the  legendary.  It  is 
possible  that  the  Roman  church  appealed  to  Justinian  on  behalf  of  the  banished  pope 
and  his  attendant  clergy  and  that  they  were  assisted  by  Narses.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  Vigilius'  final  release  was  the  result  of  his  ultimate,  unqualified  condemnation  of 
the  three  Nestorians  and  of  all  their  supporters  and  his  recantation  of  anything  he  had 
previously  said  in  their  defence.  Jaffe,  Regcsta,  pp.  123-124,  936,  937.  Pelagius, 
who  had  also  been  exiled  or  imprisoned  by  the  emperor,  refused  to  concur  in  the  con- 
demnation and  persisted  in  his  resistance  for  some  time  after  Vigilius  had  yielded. 
It  is,  therefore,  extremely  unlikely  that  Justinian  should  have  suggested  him  at  this 
time  for  Vigilius'  place.     Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  301,  n.  28. 

^  Proconnesus,  an  island  in  the  Propontis,  now  called  Marmora,  famous  for  its 
quarries. 


i6o  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

They  came  with  Vigihus  to  Sicily,  to  the  city  of  Syracuse.  And 
he  suffered  from  the  malady  of  the  stone  and  died.^  And  his  body 
was  carried  to  Rome  and  buried  in  the  church  of  Saint  Marcellus 
on  the  Via  Salaria. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *2 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  3  months  and  5  days.^ 


LXII.   Pelagius  I  (556-561) 

Pelagius/  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  John,  the  vicar,^ 
occupied  the  see  4  years,  10  months  and  18  days.  And  there  was 
no  bishop  to  ordain  him  but  two  bishops  were  found,  John  of 
Perusia  and  Bonus  of  Ferentinum,  and  Andrew,  priest  of  Ostia, 
and  they  ordained  him  pontiff.^    At  that  time  there  was  no  one 

'  A  contemporary  record  says  of  Vigilius'  death  :  "He  died  in  Syracuse,  the  second 
day  of  the  week,  at  night,  the  seventh  day  before  the  Ides  of  June  in  the  third  indiction 
(June  7,  555)."     Duchesne,  op.  ciL,  p.  302,  n.  33. 

2  List  of  ordinations. 

'  The  vacancy  was  longer,  for  Pelagius  was  not  ordained  until  April  16,  556. 

*  We  know  more  of  Pelagius'  career  previous  to  his  accession  than  we  do  of  that  of 
most  popes  at  this  early  period.  Under  Silverius  he  had  been  sent  with  Vigilius  to 
Constantinople  as  apocrisarius  and  while  there  had  intrigued  in  favor  of  the  appoint- 
ment of  Vigilius  and  the  deposition  of  Silverius.  Supra,  p.  146,  n.  i ;  pp.  149-150.  On 
Vigilius'  ordination  he  had  been  sent  by  Justinian  to  Antioch  on  ecclesiastical  business 
and  had  been  active  in  other  church  affairs.  Returning  to  Rome  he  had  distributed 
his  wealth  among  the  poor  of  the  city  and  after  the  departure  of  Vigilius  had  played 
the  part  of  the  leading  citizen,  negotiating  with  Totila  in  546  and  obtaining  from  him  a 
promise  to  refrain  from  murder  and  outrage  when  he  captured  Rome.  Procopius  says 
that  he  was  at  this  time  the  most  illustrious  man  in  Italy.  Later  he  returned  to 
Constantinople  and  was  punished  along  with  Vigilius  for  refusing  to  anathematize  the 
Three  Chapters  in  obedience  to  the  decision  of  the  ecumenical  council  just  held.  Supra, 
pp.  157,  n.  I  and  159,  n.  2.  He  did  not  continue  obstinate,  however,  for  a  year  later 
after  the  death  of  Vigilius  he  accepted  the  decrees  of  the  council  and  was  designated 
by  the  emperor  as  VigUius'  successor.  De  Bcllo  Gothico,  III,  16-21 ;  ed.  Haury,  vol.  II, 
pp.  362-393- 

*The  word  is  "vicarianus."  Pelagius  came  apparently  of  aristocratic  family. 
His  father  may  have  held  the  office  of  vicar  in  one  of  the  two  Italian  dioceses.  Duchesne, 
Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  303,  n.  i. 

^  The  regular  conduct  of  ordinations  in  the  suburban  diocese  must  necessarily  have 
been  much  interfered  with  during  the  ten  years  absence  of  Vigilius  and  the  disorder  of 
the  Gothic  wars.  That  conditions  were  little  better  in  the  metropolitan  diocese  of 
Milan  is  proved  by  a  letter  written  by  the  clergy  of  that  city  in  551.  Datius,  their 
bishop,  had  then  been  absent  in  the  East  twelve  or  thirteen  years  and  they  complain 
that  most  of  the  bishops  whom  he  had  ordained  were  dead  and  that  a  vast  number  of 


PELAGIUS   I  i6i 

among  the  clergy  who  could  be  promoted.  The  monasteries  and 
the  multitude  of  wise  and  noble  devout  withdrew  from  communion 
with  Pelagius,  saying  that  he  had  had  a  part  in  the  death  of  Pope 
Vigilius  and  therefore  was  punished  with  such  troubles.^  Then 
Narses  and  Pope  Pelagius  took  counsel  and  when  the  litany  had 
been  said  at  Saint  Pancratius  they  proceeded  with  hymns  and 
spiritual  songs  to  Saint  Peter,  the  apostle.^  And  Pelagius,  holding 
the  Gospels  and  the  cross  of  the  Lord  above  his  head,  mounted  the 
pulpit  and  thus  he  satisfied  all  the  people 

and  the  populace  | 

that  he  had  done  no  harm  to  Vigilius.  Likewise  Pope  Pelagius 
continued  and  said :  ''I  beg  of  you  to  grant  my  request,  that  who- 
ever deserves  promotion  in  the  holy  church 

and  is  worthy  of  it,  | 

people  were  dying  without  baptism.  Stipra,  p.  149  and  n.  i.  Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol. 
69,  col.  118.  A  few  episcopal  ordinations  had,  nevertheless,  taken  place  without  the 
pope,  in  the  suburban  district,  as  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  Pelagius  was  ordained  by  a 
bishop  from  Perugia.  Herculanus,  bishop  of  that  city,  had  been  massacred  by  the 
soldiers  of  Totila,  when  they  sacked  Perugia  in  549.  John  must  have  been  ordained 
since  that  date.  It  is  probable  that  the  scarcity  of  bishops  was  not  the  only  reason 
why  Pelagius  had  but  three  at  his  ordination.  Our  text  speaks  of  the  widespread 
hostility  to  him  in  all  ranks  of  the  church. 

1  Duchesne  is  of  the  opinion  that  our  author  is  mistaken  in  assigning  this  reason  for 
the  prejudice  against  Pelagius.  It  is  certainly  difficult  to  see  how  he  could  have  been 
blamed  in  any  way  for  Vigilius'  death,  when  he  was  left  by  Vigilius  in  confinement  in 
the  East  and  had  been  for  so  long  a  fellow  sufferer  with  him.     Op.  cit.,  p.  304,  n.  3. 

2  The  ceremonies  at  San  Pancrazio  and  the  Vatican  are  described  here  in  more 
detail  than  anywhere  else.  That,  however,  the  charges  of  which  Pelagius  cleared  him- 
self were  heresy  and  betrayal  of  the  faith  of  the  fathers  rather  than  complicity  in  Vigilius' 
death  is  established  by  the  encyclical  which  he  issued  at  the  same  time.  It  is  addressed 
to  all  the  people  of  God  and  sets  forth  his  position,  "in  order  to  remove  suspicion." 
He  declares  solemnly  that  he  accepts  the  statutes  of  the  "four  councils"  {i.e.  the  four 
first  councils,  excluding  the  one  called  by  Justinian)  and  the  apostolic  canons  and  that 
"he  holds  in  condemnation  all  those  whom  they  (his  predecessors)  condemned  and 
reverences  as  orthodox  all  whom  they  approved,  in  particular  the  venerable  bishops 
Theodoret  and  Ibas."  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  125,  938.  Mansi,  Amplissima  CollecHo, 
vol.  IX,  p.  717.  By  this  purgation  Pelagius  seems  to  have  won  toleration  from  his 
own  diocese  but  the  other  Western  bishops  for  the  most  part  still  refused  their  fellow- 
ship. Pelagius  vainly  endeavored  to  prevail  upon  Narses  and  upon  Childebert,  king 
of  the  Franks,  to  interfere  and  end  the  schism  by  force.  We  have  a  letter  by  him 
addressed  to  Valerianus,  a  patrician,  arguing  that  the  decrees  of  the  synod  of  Chalcedon 
and  the  writings  of  the  blessed  Augustine  prove  that  schismatics  should  be  suppressed 
by  secular  authority.     Jaffe,  ibid.,  pp.  126,  946;    133,  1019;    135,  1038. 


i62  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

from  a  doorkeeper  even  to  a  bishop,  should  accept  advancement, 
though  not  for  gold  nor  any  promises ;  you  all  know  that  that  is 
simony.  But  whoever  is  taught  in  the  works  of  God  and  leads  a 
good  life  we  bid  him,  not  by  bribes  but  by  honest  conversation,  to 
rise  unto  the  first  rank." 

At  that  time  Pelagius  appointed  Valentinus,  who  feared  God, 
as  his  notary  and  had  all  the  gold  and  silver  vessels  and  the  vest- 
ments restored  in  all  the  churches.^  Then  he  began  to  build  the 
basilica  of  the  apostles  PhiUp  and  James ;  ^  but  when  the  building 
was  begun  he  died  and  was  buried  in  the  basilica  of  blessed  Peter, 
the  apostle,^ 

March  2. 


'I^  7|«  9|C  ?|%  7|S  Sfi  3|%  #|«    A 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  2  months  and  25  days. 

^  Pelagius'  correspondence  is  full  of  allusions  to  the  impoverished  state  of  the  Roman 
church  and  of  directions  for  collecting  the  rents  and  other  revenues  which  had  long 
been  unpaid.  In  one  instance  he  orders  that  a  slave,  the  son  of  a  slave  woman  be- 
longing to  the  church,  who  was  attempting  to  escape  from  servitude  by  calling  himself 
a  curial,  should  be  returned  to  the  ecclesiastical  estates.  He  writes  to  the  bishop  of 
Aries,  commending  to  his  protection  various  Romans  who  had  fled  from  their  homes 
for  fear  of  the  enemy  and  asking  that  the  garments  bought  with  the  dues  paid  by  the 
local  church  should  be  sent  by  ship  to  Rome,  "  because  there  is  such  poverty  and  destitu- 
tion in  this  city  that  we  cannot  look  without  grief  and  anguish  of  heart  upon  men  whom 
we  know  to  be  meritorious  and  born  to  honorable  position."  Jaffe,  Regesta,  pp.  126- 
134,  943,  947,  949,  950,  951,  953,  956,  963,  1022,  1023.  There  is  no  mention  of  church 
furniture  in  the  letters  now  extant  but  Pelagius  may  probably  have  tried  to  replace 
what  had  been  lost  and  destroyed. 

2  The  basilica  of  the  Santi  Apostoli.  The  first  church  on  the  site  was  erected  by 
Julius  I.  Supra,  p.  73,  n.  4.  A  new  one  was  now  begun  by  Pelagius  with  the  aid  of 
Narses  and  finished  by  John  III.  It  contained  two  metrical  inscriptions  set  up  by 
John,  who  claimed  to  have  contributed  the  larger  share  of  the  edifice.  The  apsidal 
inscription  began  as  follows : 

"Here  the  priest  before  me  has  left  his  slight  traces; 
Pope  John  has  completed  the  work  which  he  began. 
Standing  the  more  erect  in  a  season  of  cramping  distress, 
The  bishop  scorns  to  be  depressed  by  a  failing  world." 

Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  306,  n.  2.  The  basilica  was  rebuilt  in  the  fifteenth  and  again  in 
the  eighteenth  century  and  shows  now  no  remains  of  sixth  century  work.  See  Gre- 
gorovius.  History  oj  Rome,  tr.  Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  489-495. 

3  Duchesne  prints  Pelagius'  epitaph,  taken  like  others  from  the  portico  of  the  old 
basilica.  Op.  cit.,  p.  304,  n.  7.  It  is  unusually  long  and  makes  much  of  his  virtues 
and  his  title  to  blessedness  in  heaven.     We  give  an  extract : 


JOHN   III  163 


LXIII.   John  III  (561-574) 

John,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  the  illustrious  Anastasius, 
occupied  the  see  12  years,  11  months  and  26  days.  He  loved  and 
restored  the  cemeteries  of  the  holy  martyrs.^  He  ordered  that 
consecrated  bread  and  flagons  of  wine  should  be  suppHed  and  lights 
should  be  lit  in  those  cemeteries  on  every  Lord's  day  by  the  priests 
of  the  Lateran.  He  finished  the  church  of  the  apostles  Philip  and 
James  and  dedicated  it.^ 

At  that  time  the  Heruli  revolted  and  chose  for  their  king  Sin- 
duald  and  oppressed  all  Italy.  And  Narses  went  out  against  him 
and  slew  the  king  and  subdued  the  whole  tribe  of  the  Heruh.^ 

"As  guardian  of  the  apostolic  faith  he  preserved  the  venerable  dogmas 

Which  were  set  forth  by  our  illustrious  fathers. 
By  eloquence  he  recovered  those  who  had  fallen  into  the  errors  of  schism, 

That  with  hearts  reconciled  they  might  hold  the  true  faith. 
He  consecrated  many  ministers  of  the  divine  law, 

Staining  not  his  immaculate  hands  with  gold. 
He  redeemed  captives,  he  was  quick  to  succor  the  afBicted, 

He  never  refused  to  share  his  goods  with  the  poor." 

*  List  of  ordinations. 

1  During  the  eighteen  years  of  the  Gothic  wars  the  suburban  cemeteries  had  suffered 
from  both  pillage  and  neglect.  They  had  ceased  to  be  used  as  places  of  burial,  new 
cemeteries  having  been  opened  within  the  city  walls.  The  dwindling  population  no 
longer  crowded  the  enclosed  area,  the  old  sanitary  regulations  were  not  enforced  and 
graves  outside  the  walls  were  exposed  to  desecration.  The  catacombs  were,  therefore 
hardly  visited,  except  for  the  purpose  of  honoring  the  saints  whose  bodies  were  there 
interred.  They  were  coming  to  be  regarded  not  as  ordinary  burying  grounds  but  as 
"the  cemeteries  of  the  martyrs,"  as  they  are  called  here,  i.e.  as  shrines  or  holy  places, 
objects  of  pilgrimage.  Parish  priests  found  it  increasingly  difficult  to  provide  for 
services  in  those  ancient  sites,  to  which  their  common  duties  no  longer  brought  them. 
John  attempted  to  prevent  their  complete  abandonment  by  laying  upon  the  Lateran 
church,  the  centre  of  ecclesiastical  administration,  the  responsibility  of  supplying 
materials  for  the  mass.  Some  of  the  earlier  Byzantine  frescoes  in  the  catacombs  may 
have  been  executed  by  workmen  in  his  employ.  Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  306, 
n.  I.     Frothingham,  Monuments,  pp.  86-87. 

^  Supra,  p.  162  and  n.  2. 

'  The  events  here  noted  belong  to  the  obscure  period  between  the  Gothic  wars  and 
the  Lombard  invasion.  Sinduald  or  Sindbal  had  been  one  of  the  chiefs  enrolled  by 
Narses  to  serve  as  heads  of  the  barbarian  auxiliaries.  Two  letters  are  extant  addressed 
to  Sindula,  "magister  militum,"  by  Pelagius  I.  From  them  one  may  gather  that  the 
military  leader  acted  as  judge  to  settle  civil  cases  involving  questions  of  liability  for 
damage  and  rights  of  inheritance  and  that  he  applied  to  the  pope  for  instruction  in  a 


1 64  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

Then  came  Ammingus,  leader  of  the  Franks,  and  Buccillinus; 
they  also  in  like  manner  wasted  Italy.  But  with  the  help  of  the 
Lord  they  too  were  destroyed  by  Narses.^  And  all  Italy  was 
joyful.^ 

Then  the  Romans,  inspired  by  malice,  sent  an  accusation  to 
Justinian  and  Sophia,  saying:  "It  were  better  for  the  Romans  to 
serve  the  Goths  than  the  Greeks,  for  Narses,  the  eunuch,  governs 
us  and  reduces  us  to  slavery ;  and  our  most  devout  prince  is  igno- 
rant of  it.  Either  free  us  from  his  hand  or  we  and  the  city  of  Rome 
will  serve  the  Gentiles."^  When  Narses  heard  this  he  said:  "If 
I  have  done  evil  to  the  Romans  may  evil  fall  on  me  ! "  Then  Narses 
departed  from  Rome  and  went  to  Campania  and  wrote  to  the  tribe 
of  the  Lombards  that  they  might  come  and  possess  Italy .^     But 

knotty  suit.  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  pp.  130  and  135,  990,  1031.  Paul  the  Deacon,  who 
probably  had  access  to  sources  now  lost,  gives  the  best  account  of  Sinduald's  revolt. 
"  Nevertheless  Narses  waged  war  against  Sinduald,  king  of  the  Brenti,  who  came  of  the 
stock  of  the  Heruli,  whom  Odoacer  brought  with  him  when  he  descended  into  Italy. 
He  at  first  was  faithful  to  Narses  and  received  many  benefits  from  him,  but  at  last  he 
rebelled  arrogantly  and  endeavored  to  make  himself  king  and  Narses  conquered  him 
and  took  him  prisoner  and  hung  him  from  a  high  beam."  History  of  the  Lombards, 
tr.  Foulke,  pp.  55-56. 

1  The  history  of  the  struggle  against  the  Frankish  inroads  at  this  period  is  far  from 
clear.  Bucelinus  or  Buccelin  was  apparently  one  of  two  brothers  who  led  a  host  of 
Frankish  marauders  across  the  Alps  in  553  and  were  repulsed  and  overwhelmed  the 
following  year  by  the  imperial  army.  It  is  an  error  to  couple  his  name  here  with  that 
of  Amingus.  The  latter  seems  to  have  figured  in  the  Gothic  raids  of  561-563,  which 
resulted  in  the  temporary  occupation  of  the  province  of  Aquileia  and  of  the  cities  of 
Verona  and  Brescia.  Narses  recaptured  Verona  and  drove  the  Franks  once  more 
out  of  Italy.  There  is  no  satisfactory  account  of  these  years  in  any  of  the  surviving 
sources.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  pp.  306-307,  n.  4;  Gregorovius,  History  of  Rome,  tr. 
Hamilton,  vol.  I,  pp.  476-485. 

2  "Narses,  the  patrician,  .  .  .  gave  Italy  back  to  the  Roman  empire,  rebuilt  the 
ruined  cities  and  by  expelling  the  Goths  restored  the  people  throughout  Italy  to  their 
ancient  happiness."  Prosperi  Aqidt.  Continuator  Havniensis,  in  Mon.  Ger.  Hist., 
Auctorum  Antiquiss.,  Chronica  Minora,  vol.  I,  p.  337.  Quoted  by  Duchesne,  op.  cit., 
p.  307,  n.  5. 

3  No  other  record  gives  us  more  than  the  bare  statement  that  Narses  was  recalled 
from  Italy  in  568  by  the  emperor  Justin  II.  The  name  of  Justinian  in  our  text  is,  of 
course,  an  error.     It  is  impossible  to  verify  or  to  disprove  our  narrative  at  this  point. 

^  All  historians  from  the  seventh  century  onward  unite  in  .ascribing  to  Narses  an 
invitation  to  the  Lombards  to  enter  Italy.  Agathias  and  Marius,  however,  who  were 
contemporaries  of  Narses,  do  not  allude  to  it.  The  Origo  Gentis  Langobardorum, 
which  Mommsen  pronounces  an  extract  from  the  lost  history  of  Secundus  of  Trent, 
written  about  612,  says  expressly  that  Alboin  led  his  Lombards  into  Italy  upon  in  vita- 


JOHN   III  165 

when  Pope  John  learned  that  the  Romans  had  sent  an  accusation 
against  Narses  to  the  emperor  he  went  hastily  to  Naples.  And 
Pope  John  began  to  entreat  Narses  to  return  to  Rome.  Then 
Narses  said :  "Tell  me,  most  holy  Father,  what  evil  have  I  done  to 
the  Romans  ?  I  shall  go  back  to  the  feet  of  him  that  sent  me  and 
all  Italy  shall  know  how  I  have  toiled  for  her  with  all  my  strength." 
Pope  John  answered  and  said:  "I  myself  shall  go  to  him  sooner 
than  you  shall  leave  this  land."  And  Narses  returned  to  Rome 
with  the  most  holy  pope  John.^ 

Then  the  most  holy  pope  withdrew  to  the  cemetery  of  Saints 
Tiburtius  and  Valerian  and  abode  there  a  long  time,  so  that  he 
even  consecrated  bishops  there.^  But  Narses  entered  Rome  and 
after  a  long  time  he  died.  And  his  body  was  laid  in  a  leaden  cofHn 
and  was  carried  with  all  his  riches  to  Constantinople.^ 

Then  Pope  John  Hkewise  died  and  was  buried  in  the  basilica  of 
blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,^ 

July  13-  I 

"I*  •!•  •!•  ■!■  ^  ^  H"  ^   5 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  10  months  and  3  days 
on  the  13  th  day  of  July.  | 

tion  from  Narses.  Isidore  of  Seville  (560-636)  hints  at  a  disagreement  between  Narses 
and  the  empress.  The  chronicle  that  passes  under  the  name  of  Fredegarius,  composed 
probably  about  640,  is  the  first  to  relate  the  famous  story  of  the  golden  distaff  sent  by 
Sophia  to  Narses  to  show  her  scorn  for  his  effeminacy.  Duchesne,  op.  cit.,  p.  307,  n.  7  ; 
Hodgkin,  Italy  and  her  Invaders,  vol.  V,  passim.    The  Lombard  invasion  occurred  in  568. 

1  The  return  of  Narses  to  Rome  was  in  571.  There  is  no  other  account  of  the 
intercession  of  the  pope. 

2  The  little  church  of  SS.  Tiburtius  and  Valerian  stood  over  the  catacomb  of  Pre- 
textatus  on  the  Via  Appia,  about  two  mUes  from  the  city.  The  retirement  of  the  pope 
to  this  secluded  spot  seems  to  have  had  some  connection  with  the  situation  at  Rome 
at  the  time  of  the  disgrace  and  return  of  Narses  but  we  lack  the  information  to  deter- 
mine what  the  connection  was. 

^Narses  died  in  572  or  573.  He  is  said  to  have  been  in  his  ninety-fifth  year. 
There  are  various  references  in  the  chronicles  to  his  great  wealth.  The  imperial  system 
of  taxation  seemed  cruel  to  the  impoverished  Italians,  and  there  appears  to  have  been  a 
widespread  feeling  that  Narses  had  enriched  himself  by  his  relentless  exactions.  Ideas 
of  the  kind  may  have  prompted  the  complaint  to  the  emperor.  Later  there  arose 
legends  of  the  hidden  treasure  of  Narses. 

^  His  epitaph  has  been  lost. 

^  List  of  ordinations. 


i66  LIBER    PONTIFICALIS 


LXIV.   Benedict  I  (575-579) 

Benedict,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Boniface,  occupied 
the  see  4  years,  i  month  and  28  days. 

At  that  time  the  tribe  of  the  Lombards  invaded  all  Italy  and 
there  was  also  a  great  famine,  so  that  many  fortified  towns  sur- 
rendered to  the  Lombards  in  order  that  they  might  be  spared  the 
rigor  of  the  famine.^     And  when  Justinian,  the 

most  devout  | 

emperor,  heard  that  Rome  was  endangered  by  the  famine 

and  by  the  pestilence  | 

he  sent  to  Egypt  and  dispatched  ships  laden  with  corn  to  Rome ;  ^ 
and  thus  God  had  compassion  on  the  land  of  Italy. 

In  the  midst  of  these  hardships  and  afiiictions  the  most  holy 
pope  Benedict  died.  And  he  was  buried  in  the  basilica  of  blessed 
Peter,  the  apostle,  in  the  vestry,^ 

July  31-  I 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *4 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  3  months  and  10  days 
on  the  30th  day  of  July.  | 

1  Paul  the  Deacon,  who  bases  his  account  partly  upon  the  Lib.  Pont,  and  partly 
upon  the  lost  history  of  Secundus  of  Trent,  gives  the  following  description  of  the  misery 
at  this  time.  "In  these  days  many  Roman  nobles  were  killed  through  avarice  (Lom- 
bard avarice).  And  the  rest  were  distributed  among  the  invaders  to  pay  a  third  part 
of  their  produce  to  the  Lombards  and  were  made  tributary.  In  the  seventh  year  after 
the  arrival  of  Alboin  and  all  his  nation  the  churches  had  been  despoiled  by  the  Lombard 
dukes,  the  priests  slaughtered,  the  cities  ravaged  and  the  people  exterminated  who  lived 
by  the  cultivation  of  crops,  except  in  those  regions  which  Alboin  had  conquered,  and 
Italy  for  the  most  part  was  taken  and  subdued  by  the  sword."  History  of  the  Lom- 
bards, tr.  Foulke,  f  .  68. 

2  The  emperor's  name  should  be  Justin,  not  Justinian.  Justin  II  died  in  578. 
Other  sources  say  nothing  of  grain  ships  sent  by  him  to  Italy,  but  the  records  are  all  so 
scanty  that  the  omission  casts  no  doubt  upon  the  statement  of  the  Lib.  Pont. 

3  The  word  translated  vestry  is  "secretarium."  The  name  was  applied  to  a  small 
chamber  opening  to  the  left  of  the  portico  of  old  St.  Peter's,  originally  used  by  the  popes 
as  a  robing  room.  Later  it  was  converted  into  a  chapel  and  the  tomb  of  Benedict 
was  beneath  the  altar.     His  epitaph  is  lost. 

*  List  of  ordinations. 


>PELAGIUS   II  167 


LXV.   Pelagius  II  (579-590) 

Pelagius,  by  nationality  a  Roman,  son  of  Unigild,  occupied  the 
see  10  years,  2  months  and  10  days.  He  was  ordained  without 
commission  from  the  emperor,  because  the  Lombards  were  be- 
sieging the  city  of  Rome  and  were  working  much  havoc  in  Italy.^ 

At  that  time  there  were  such  heavy  rains  that  every  one  said  that 
the  waters  of  the  flood  had  overflowed ;  -  and  such  fearful  carnage 
that  no  one  remembered  that  its  like  had  ever  been  in  the  world. 

At  that  time  Pelagius  enclosed  the  body  of  blessed  Peter,  the 
apostle,  in  plates  of  gilded  silver.^     He  made  of  his  own  house 

*  The  siege  of  Rome  in  579  is  not  mentioned  by  any  other  contemporary  historian. 
We  have,  however,  a  letter  written  by  Pelagius  in  580  to  Aunarius,  bishop  of  Auxerre, 
in  which  he  laments  the  shedding  of  innocent  blood,  the  violation  of  the  holy  altars  and 
the  insults  offered  to  the  catholic  faith  by  "the  idolaters."  Already  he  turns  his  eyes 
toward  the  Franks  as  possible  deliverers,  "the  divinely  appointed  neighbors  and  helpers 
of  this  city  and  all  Italy,"  and  bids  Aunarius  warn  them  to  refrain  from  alliance  with 
the  Lombards.  He  sends  Aunarius  certain  sacred  relics,  and  adds  :  "We  urge  you  to 
hasten,  so  far  as  you  are  able,  to  free  from  the  pollution  of  the  Gentiles  the  shrines  of  the 
saints  whose  merits  you  seek."  Jaffe,  Regesta,  vol.  I,  p.  138,  580.  Migne,  Pat.  Lat., 
vol.  72,  col.  705.  In  584  Pelagius  writes  that  he  has  sent  envoys  to  Constantinople  to 
beseech  the  aid  of  the  emperor  before  the  Lombards  seize  the  few  places  that  are  left 
to  the  imperial  government.  "The  district  about  Rome  is,"  he  says,  "in  the  main 
destitute  of  any  defenders  and  the  exarch  writes  that  he  can  provide  no  remedy."  In 
585  he  sends  several  letters  to  the  bishops  of  Aquileia  and  Istria,  who  were  at  odds  with 
him  over  the  question  of  the  Three  Chapters.  Supra,  p.  157,  n.  i;  p.  161,  n.  2.  He  says 
that  he  has  been  prevented  from  writing  before  by  the  stress  of  events  and  the  pressure 
of  the  enemy  but  that  at  last  through  the  efforts  of  the  exarch  Smaragdus  they  are  en- 
joying an  interval  of  peace  and  quiet.     Jaffe,  ibid.,  pp.  138  and  139,  1052,  1054-1056. 

^  The  great  flood  of  the  Tiber  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  589  and  was  followed  by  a 
pestilence  which  brought  about  Pelagius'  death.  Gregory  I,  writing  five  years  later, 
says  that  the  waters  flowed  in  over  the  walls  of  the  city  and  flooded  most  of  it.  Dialogi, 
HI,  19;  Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  77,  cols.  268,  269.  Gregory  of  Tours  also  relates  the 
story.  "Now  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  King  Childebert  (590),  our  deacon  came  from  the 
city  of  Rome  with  relics  of  the  saints  and  reported  that  in  the  ninth  month  (November) 
of  the  previous  year  the  waters  of  the  Tiber  had  overspread  Rome  in  such  a  flood  that 
the  ancient  buildings  had  been  destroyed  and  the  storehouses  of  the  church  wrecked, 
within  which  some  thousands  of  measures  of  wheat  had  been  lost.  .  .  .  Thereupon 
followed  a  pestilence,  which  they  call  '  inguinaria ' ;  it  broke  out  in  the  middle  of  the 
eleventh  month  (January,  590)  and  first  of  all  .  .  .  it  attacked  Pelagius,  the  pope, 
and  speedily  he  died ;  and  after  his  death  there  was  great  mortality  among  the  people 
by  reason  of  this  plague."  History  of  the  Franks,  X,  i ;  ed.  Poupardin,  p.  409.  An 
English  translation  of  Gregory's  History  by  Brehaut  will  be  found  in  another  volume 
of  the  Records  of  Civilization. 

^  The  sarcophagus  of  the  apostle  had  been  interred  by  Constantine  too  deep  to  be 


1 68  LIBER   PONTIFICALIS 

an  almshouse  |    a  hostelry 

for  aged  poor.  He  constructed  the  cemetery  of  blessed  Hermes, 
the  martyr.^  He  built  from  its  foundations  a  basilica  over  the  body 
of  blessed  Lawrence,  the  martyr,  and  beautified  his  sepulchre  with 
silver  plates.^  And  he  died  and  was  buried  in  the  church  of  blessed 
Peter,  the  apostle,^ 
February  7.  | 

disturbed  or  to  need  protection.  Supra,  p.  53  and  n.  3.  Our  author  may  be  describ- 
ing rather  inaccurately  some  new  reliefs  for  the  decoration  of  the  confession.  Gregory 
I  says  in  one  of  his  letters  :  "When  my  predecessor  of  blessed  memory  thought  to  change 
the  silver  which  was  over  the  most  sacred  body  of  blessed  Peter,  the  apostle,  though  it 
was  distant  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  body,  a  sign  of  great  terror  appeared  to  him." 
Epistolcc,  IV,  30 ;  Migne,  Pat.  LaL,  vol.  77,  col.  701.  That  Pelagius  actually  made  some 
innovations  in  the  furniture  of  the  basilica  is  evidenced  by  two  sets  of  inscriptions,  both 
of  which  were  visible  in  the  ninth  century,  one  on  the  altar,  the  other  on  an  ambone. 
The  last  lines  of  the  former  may  be  translated  as  follows : 

"  For  which  (the  Roman  state)  the  priest  offers  these  gifts  and  prays 
That  a  season  of  rest  be  granted  to  the  princes. 

That  the  enemy  be  conquered  throughout  the  world  by  the  power  of  Peter 
And  peace  and  our  faith  be  with  the  Gentiles  and  the  people." 
Duchesne,  Lib.  Pont.,  vol.  I,  p.  310,  n.  3. 

1  The  basilica  at  the  cemetery  of  St.  Hermes  on  the  Via  Salaria  Vetus,  of  which 
vestiges  may  still  be  seen. 

^  The  repairs  which  Pelagius  executed  in  the  smaller  and  older  basilica  of  San 
Lorenzo  remain  for  the  most  part  to  this  day.  Supra,  p.  61,  n.  2.  The  Goths  had 
apparently  done  considerable  damage  to  the  building  and  a  hill  or  bank  close  by  threat- 
ened to  crush  it.  Pelagius  rebuilt  it,  using  original  materials  as  far  as  he  could,  but  en- 
larging its  capacity  and  improving  the  lighting  by  raising  the  roof,  adding  the  galleries 
and  piercing  the  upper  walls  with  numerous  windows.  The  columns  of  the  galleries 
and  the  architraves  on  which  they  rest  were  taken  from  ancient  buildings  in  the  vicinity. 
They  are  of  all  sizes  and  styles  and  are  pieced  together  with  no  attempt  at  artistic 
unity  or  workmanlike  effect.  A  little  original  carving  in  the  Byzantine  manner  was 
done  by  stone-cutters,  brought  perhaps  from  Ravenna.  Pelagius  also  dug  away  and 
removed  the  hill  which  overhung  the  basilica  and  adorned  the  apse  with  the  mosaic, 
the  upper  portion  of  which  may  still  be  seen  over  the  triumphal  arch.  The  portrait 
of  Pelagius  himself  is  on  the  extreme  left  and  the  face  has  not  been  altered  since  his 
day.  Duchesne  prints  the  metrical  inscription  which  enumerates  these  various  im- 
provements. Op.  cit.,  p.  310,  n.  5.  Frothingham,  Monuments,  pp.  87-88,  281-282. 
The  silver  plates  or  reliefs  of  the  confession  have,  of  course,  disappeared.  Gregory  I 
has  another  anecdote  to  show  how  unsafe  Pelagius  found  it  to  approach  too  near  a  holy 
tomb,  even  with  the  zeal  of  the  restorer.  "My  predecessor  of  holy  memory  likewise 
wished  to  make  some  restorations  about  the  body  of  Saint  Lawrence,  the  martyr. 
But  since  it  was  not  known  where  the  venerable  body  lay,  he  searched  for  it  by  digging 
and  of  a  sudden  in  their  ignorance  the  sepulchre  was  laid  open.  Those  who  were 
present  and  took  part  in  the  work,  monks  and  attendants,  who  saw  the  body  of  the 
martyr,  although  they  did  not  presume  to  touch  it,  all  died  within  ten  days."  Epistola, 
IV,  30;  Migne,  Pat.  Lat.,  vol.  77,  col.  701. 

'  His  epitaph  has  not  been  preserved. 


PELAGIUS   II 


169 


•!•  •!*  'r  "I*  *!•  •!•  ^ 

And  the  bishopric  was  empty  3  months  and  25  days 

on  the  7  th  day  of  February  in 
the  5th  indiction. 

From  the  death  of  Saint  Sil- 
vester to  the  first  Gregory  was 
246  years. 


*  1 


^  List  of  ordinations. 


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